7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss
by foureyesfreak27
Summary: Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly. In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.
1. Prologue

**7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss**

Prologue

foureyesfreak27

**Summary:** Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

**Beta-ed by**: The amazing SIA345. (Thank you!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

* * *

.

Yzak Joule, heir to the prominent Joule Clan of PLANTs and well-respected Commander of the two Nazca-class destroyers _Voltaire_ and _Rousseau_, was not in a pleasant mood.

In fact, being crabby would be an understatement. He was _enraged_.

After serving under the ZAFT Forces for as long as he could remember, and surviving through two gruesome Bloody Valentine Wars, one would think that nothing can faze the fierce White Coat Commander. Well, it's true, nothing really can. He had earned many medallions and achieved numerous titles during his duration in the ZAFT Forces. He was well-known for being a hot-tempered and strict commander who ruled his team with an iron fist. He proudly wore the ZAFT white uniform since he was a part of the handful number of people under the age of thirty who have received such a prestigious honor. He was, after all, at the tender age of nineteen when he received the uniform and title of Commander. There were already rumors circulating around the military and the council of him being promoted to General and running for a seat representing Martius City—a position that was preceded by his mother—in the PLANT Supreme Council during the upcoming election. So far in his life, his odds have never been any better.

Truthfully, nothing can really daunt or flabbergast the ZAFT Commander…

Or so he thought.

Honestly, today, the odds were _not_ in his favor. His downfall has started quite early in the day, perhaps it was the moment he'd arrived at his office this morning. Actually, scratch that, it all started in his favorite coffee shop. He grimaced bitterly. Yes, of course. The coffee shop. That's how his accursed day had started.

Every morning before he reports himself to the ZAFT Military Headquarters, he would stop by this specific coffee shop in Aprilius Four to get his morning fuel. He particularly favored this coffeehouse solely because their coffees were made fresh and didn't taste like those vile watered-down black liquids that those big coffeehouse franchises produced. According to their story, the coffee beans were carefully treated and organically grown in the United States of South America. The smell of the dark tantalizing aroma was quite addictive and it doesn't hurt that the coffee tasted exceptionally exquisite. In addition, for being a regular customer and an infamous ZAFT soldier, he was given a bonus of having free muffins to go along with his hot drink (a handsome gesture of which he certainly was not complaining about).

But somehow, this particular day, his favorite barista/server was not present at the coffee shop, an unusual situation that he was not accustomed to. He asked the whereabouts of his favorite orange-haired barista to the new face behind the counter and was given the answer that he had called in sick this morning.

Yzak frowned.

Although he can say that this unexpected abruptness was something he was not happy about, he cannot condemn his favorite barista for being human. He's bound to be on sick leave sometimes in his life. Unfortunately, for him at least, the orange-haired barista—he failed to learn his name even though he sees him every morning—was the only one save the barely-present manager who knew how to make his coffee since the Joule heir was one picky man.

The newly staffed teenager behind the counter assured him that the regular barista had left specific instructions on how to make their special customer's favorite hot drink, something which pleased the ZAFT Commander immensely. So, after hearing this information, he thought that he ought to give the teen a chance. She was, after all, entrusted by his favorite barista to make his morning coffee.

A mistake that he thoroughly regretted after taking one simple sip of the hot cup.

The new girl: the stupid, idiotic, bubbly, ungodly cheery, airheaded wretch had ruined his morning coffee. The disastrously uncombined vile flavor that was enriched in his hot drink was an abomination to all coffee lovers. He would trade anything in this world to get the disgusting drink away from him. Right now, he'd happily have one of former Commander Andrew Waltfeld's infamous coffee brews for that had been much better than this crap. Unfortunately, the former ZAFT Commander had decided to live his retirement days in Orb, and it was there he had opened his coffee brewery. He made a mental note to himself to visit that old man the next time he went to Orb on business and enjoy a taste of his fine freshly brewed coffee.

And who can forget the muffins. Oh _god_, how he dreaded the tasteless nourishment that the evil woman handed him: those cold, flavorless, undercooked, half-baked, so-called blueberry muffins. Good god, was she trying to kill him?

He threw the offensive nourishments in the bin but not before he gave a few good scornful parting words to the insolent girl. Because of this, he had scowled his way to work, glaring at anyone who stood in his way.

And of course, the morning had to just get even worse.

Much to his chagrin, the moment he stepped foot inside his private domain, he was immediately greeted by an enormous pile of papers neatly stacked on top of his desk. This would have been a comical situation if it were to be seen in a movie, but unfortunately this was reality, and the silver-haired Commander was not amused. He took one good look at one document on top of the pile of mess and grimaced in remembrance. Of course, how could he have forgotten about the newly recruits that were going to be assigned to his squadron by the end of the month. As the Commander of his team, he had the deplorable task of reading through the documents, deciding whether or not to approve the individuals who were possibly assign to his crew. But part of the task that he thoroughly enjoyed doing was stamping the 'reject' and 'approve' ink to the documents.

Sighing in irritation, he sat on his seat and proceeded to the inevitable by going through the documents one by one.

But yet, his disastrous day didn't stop there.

Before he had the chance to enjoy his hour-long lunch break, he was abruptly interrupted by a ZAFT Green soldier outside his private domain. A rude awakening if he might add. According to the insolent fool, he was to report to the ZAFT Military Academy immediately—the fool had stammered much to his displeasure—and he was in no position to deny this request. Hearing the latter part of the statement, he asked—perhaps it was more like shouting, but who gives a damn—the subordinate who in their right mind had requested him to do such an atrocious thing before he attends his break and was given the answer that General Dunner had assigned him to such a tedious task.

He gritted his teeth. Of course, he would. That blasted potentate he had the unfortunate of being assigned under was the exact replica of his own Captain; Dearka Elsman. Both General and Captain have an uncanny resemblance of having annoying pastimes like needling and prying. His General knew him so well that he would have the audacity to put him up to lecture a school full of arrogant students as a guest speaker—something that the silver-haired absolutely cannot tolerate doing. But being the good soldier he was, he made no objection—sucked up all his hatred for the task—and made his way towards the Academy.

Nope, the catastrophic events kept on going strong.

After his two long hours of the _extremely_ dreary meeting with the other ZAFT commanders in the late afternoon, he hastily marched to his office, and locked the door in the hope of preventing anymore interference from the troublesome world. He noticed that the atrocious pile of documents that were breeding on top of his desk had unsurprisingly lessened. He knew that his most trusted subordinate Hahnenfuss—bless her soul—had the decency to eliminate those repugnant documents and send them to their designated functions.

But put aside all the misfortunes that he had encountered today, this one in particular tops the list.

He inwardly shuddered. Ugh, just thinking about it gives him chills, all because of that horrendous voicemail.

Habitually after working long hours outside his office, he would listen to his voicemails that he'd received throughout the day.

But after hearing the latest news, his crabby disposition took quite a turn for the worse. Nothing had ever made him feel so…conflicted. It was a clear understanding that he was in no position to negate the matter that was placed—mind you, it was quite a heavy burden one—on him. Never in his twenty-three years, and counting, of being alive had he been…threatened. Yes, that's the appropriate term for this; threatened. He was baffled to no end and quite frankly, wasn't sure whether or not this was some sort of a sick game, but by some means it had given him quite a good shake.

At first, he believed that it was another one of her bullying antics that she would terrorize him with in order for him to heed her outlandish requests. Truth be told, it was neither the first, nor he anticipated it to be the last. But somehow this time, after hearing the scornful message, he felt unease, because, behind the tranquil alluring voice lurks another cryptic message. A cautionary warning, a bad omen. The warning siren on the back of his head was already wailing in distress.

He tugged on his collar as his neck began to chafe from the sudden chills he felt crawling down his spine. A clear discomfort that he's not accustomed to, but much to his inclination, he had no other choice. This matter was akin to a life and death situation. To be frank, he would rather face a hundred of those stupid Earth Alliance's G-weapons than to go through the hazardous thing that every single male faced when being constantly pestered by their primary caregiver. Perhaps this was what his other male colleagues had referred to: a mid-life crisis.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that something like this would come. It was an inevitable matter for someone like him with status to escape from but still, it had taken quite a toll on his emotional equilibrium.

Two sharp knocks brought him back to reality. He shook his head, almost as if it was some sort of a pep talk to himself before pressing the intercom. He didn't need to say anything for the intruder was the one and only friend, aside from his trusted subordinate, who happens to put up with his short-tempered attitude.

"_Yo_," his ever ungodly cheery second commander, Dearka Elsman, greeted through the screen. Without a second thought, Yzak gave him the green light to enter his private domain.

"Hey there, buddy," the Black Coat lazily greeted once again as he casually strolled inside his office.

Yzak grunted incoherently in response, not taking his eyes away from the paperwork before him. He needed some sort of distraction. A good distraction. Paperwork was good; an excellent irony since before this, he abhorred them to no end. And having Dearka in his office—a situation that he loathed, knowing that the blonde was a peeve to him—tediously annoying the crap out of him would be a big bonus.

"You know, you're visibly sulking," Dearka noted lightly, noticing his friend's dark mood and the frown that he wore.

"And? So what if I am?" Yzak spat angrily, slamming a finished set of documents on top of the completed stack. Trust Dearka to pick on a topic that he deems important.

The good captain chuckled in amusement, unfazed by Yzak's irascible demeanor. "It's almost as if someone has taken your favorite toy away from you. No wonder everyone seems like they're avoiding your office," the Black Coat Captain pointed out, slouching against the wall behind him.

"Hn, good. It's better than being constantly around idiotic people," he replied, begrudgingly. Now if he'd just change the topic, he'd be quite useful in here.

Dearka raised a quizzical eyebrow. He had always known that Yzak preferred to be left alone when working—with the exception of working on the battlefield—but he'd never make such an anti-social comment. Something, or perhaps most likely a certain someone, had made him all crabby today, and the tanned blond had a sharp nagging feeling on who it might just be. "O-kay, tell me what happened, buddy? Don't tell me Shiho did something that pissed you off."

Yzak stopped writing to give his blond friend a flat look. "Why do you always assume that whenever I'm in a bad mood it always has to be related to Hahnenfuss?" In a way, it does, but the pestering blond would always make comments like these to further push his buttons.

The tanned blond shrugged indifferently as he crossed his arms. He nonchalantly smirked as if he knew the obvious culprit who's responsible for the silver-head's bitter mood. "Well? Was I right?"

His commander sent him a warning glare before responding. "No," Yzak corrected. "It's not." Not likely, at least.

Dearka quirked a knowing brow, not believing his friend one bit. "Uh huh. Then pray, tell. Who has left you in such an unpleasant mood?"

Damn, Dearka. The damn blond was taunting him; there was no doubt about it. He would always manage to irk the Joule heir and would repeatedly disregard the fact that the latter was his superior. The fact that the ZAFT Black Coat Captain knew this well enough did not stop his endless tease of his silver-haired Commander, for he knew very well that Yzak needed him. He was one of the few whom the silver-head trusted, an averse reason why the silver-haired Commander hadn't booted his behind out of his squadron as of yet. Yzak released a sigh, might as well let it all out now then to let it bubble up inside. "It's my mother," he grunted in irritation.

The blond blinked owlishly, immediately straightening himself from his slouch position after hearing his statement. "Your_ mother_?" Dearka parroted in confusion.

"Yes, my _mother_," the White Coat repeated, growling in ire. "Now, drop the subject."

Knowing Dearka very well, the blond would ignore this request and continue to press on the subject. So it did not surprise him if the blond were to pry in his business, again. "What did she do? Don't tell me she interfered in your love life again, or the lack thereof?" He jokingly ventured.

Of course, Elsman just knew him so goddamn well. Whenever it's regarding his mother, the topic of 'relationship' would always be brought up somehow.

Noting how the silver-haired Commander's mood visibly darkened, Dearka knew he had hit the nail on the head. He burst into a fit of laughter in which Yzak responded by throwing a pen at him (which Dearka easily dodged of course).

"Oh Yzak, what did she say this time?" Dearka wondered in amusement, still laughing at the comical situation.

The White Coat growled in irritation but nevertheless he spilled his reasons for his current mood. "She reminded me that I was getting close to the age of twenty-five and it was high time for me to settle down and start producing offspring for the Joule family."

Figured, Dearka thought comically. "And how did you respond?"

"I didn't. She left a voicemail," was his simple answer.

"Well, It's not like you've handled her threats before," Dearka reminded him with an inwardly shrug as he walked across the room to lounged himself comfortably on the sofa.

Yzak scoffed. "Well if you count being threatened to be disowned by the family, deprived of your own inheritance, and demoted back to a Red Coat by your General, since she has connections, is okay, then you are absurd. In addition, she already planned a wedding date and would castrate me alive if I don't show up at the alter."

His blond friend blinked rapidly, clearly startled by the information. "Oh," was all he could come up with. No wonder he was in such an unpleasant mood.

"Yeah. Oh." Yzak repeated, rolling his eyes.

"So she's really serious this time, giving you the ultimatum and all," the Black Coat Captain whistled lowly. He pondered on the possible thought of his best friend settling down and visibly cringed. He pitied the poor girl who'll be saddled up with a hot-tempered man like Yzak. Quite frankly, the blond couldn't quite picture Yzak courting a woman, and if he does, it will be one hell of a show that he'll eagerly await with front row tickets.

Now that Yzak mentioned 'marriage', he couldn't help but to recall a vague memory sometime a while back during the Academy days when Yzak begrudgingly mentioned something about being betrothed to a Hahnenfuss. "But hey, aren't you betrothed to Shiho?"

"And, what of it?" Again with Hahnenfuss?

Dearka rolled his eyes to his oblivious friend. He may be an excellent commander but truly the man was naïve when it came to love. "Shouldn't you just accept the engagement and just go on and marry her?"

"Absolutely not," was his immediate reply, a frown graced his face.

"And why not?" Dearka inquired, reflecting his friend's frown. Racking up his memories, the only girl that Yzak seems to tolerate in this surprisingly-large-number-of-females-infiltrated-place was Shiho, who ironically was, his betroth. Call him a matchmaker, but he honestly thinks that a woman like Shiho would be good for the Joule heir. A strong willed woman who's very opinionated and she can practically tame the silver-haired beast. And mind you, not many people can actually succeed in doing such suicidal thing—let alone stand being around him without pissing their pants—save himself and Shiho, of course.

"Hahnenfuss and I have a very professional relationship. We are not romantically involved with one another," the Joule heir logically declared, leaving no room for arguments. "Besides, I'm too young to be settling down."

"Well let me remind you that your mother threatened to disown you, Yzak."

"So what do you suggest me to do? Marry Hahnenfuss? I may be a hard Commander but I do have a heart. I am not insensitive enough to not consider Hahnenfuss's feelings and force her into a union with someone she does not love."

Dearka choked at that. By holy, the man was a total ditz when it comes to love. Was he that oblivious that the Red Coat brunette has been pinning on him for as long as he could remember? He did not know whether or not he should pity Shiho for falling for such a blind man. But the power of love was something that cannot be explained through words, hence, people just fall in love sometimes without knowing that they're already in love. Take his love life for example, he just so happened to be irrevocably in love with his Natural girlfriend, Miriallia. If the cocky seventeen year old Dearka would've known back then that he'd ended up with a Natural, he would've scoffed at the absurd notion. But now that he's been with her for quite a long time, he cannot imagine a future without her.

"Well then, have you ever asked her about how she felt being engaged to the likes of you?" Somehow by the look on Yzak's face, Dearka already knew the answer. That blank look spoke for itself.

The White Coat Commander seemed to ponder the thought, trying to recall any memories of any conversations he and his Red Coat subordinate had regarding their engagement. "I don't recall," he honestly confessed.

The Black Coat rolled his eyes. _No surprise there_. He'd probably be conversing about anything related to the military save their apparent engagement. "Well then just marry her already. You've been engaged to one another for god knows how long. Why don't you go talk to her so you can get your mother off of your back?"

"Just because you're happily in a relationship with your Natural girlfriend, it does not give you the right to criticize my lack of love life," Yzak seethed in annoyance, glaring at his captain in question.

Dearka raised his hands defensively. "I'm just trying to help. Besides, Shiho is not against the arranged marriage like you are."

Yzak frowned. "How would you know?" He questioned with skepticism.

"Trust me, buddy. _I know_," Dearka confidently assured the silver-haired, giving him his trademark smirk.

Yzak scoffed in disbelief. "You have no evidence to support your baseless logic."

Dearka shook his head at his friend's stubbornness. Jeez, how can one of ZAFT's most exemplary commanders be so thickheaded? "I really don't see any valid reason why you should oppose the engagement. I know for a fact Shiho is not against it but why are you so adamant on breaking it off? It's a win-win situation for the both of you."

Yzak glared at the mischievous blond in annoyance. "Are you an idiot, Elsman? I told you already, I just don't want her to be with someone she does not like," he repeated once again in irritation, scowling.

An epiphany came to mind. "Ah, so in other words, you care for her," Dearka surmised, smiling slyly.

"As her Commander, I am inclined to care about her well-being," he corrected the tanned blond, dismissing the suggestive look his companion was giving him.

Dearka let out a long exasperated sigh. Sometimes he couldn't help but pity the poor fool who'd fall in love with his best friend, most notably Shiho. "Well how about this: court her."

"_Excuse me_?" Yzak spluttered, clearly caught off guard by the suggestion.

The Black Coat shrugged. "You know, dating, courting, same thing. Courting is when—"

"I know what the goddamn word means, Elsman. What I'm_ trying_ to understand is why would you suggest such a preposterous idea in the first place? I told you my reasons for backing off so kindly shut your trap," Yzak warningly stated.

Dearka frowned once again. "You didn't let me finish."

"There's no reason needed," he flatly responded.

"No, you dimwit," Dearka retaliated. A retort was already forming in Yzak's mouth but was quickly halted by a flash of pen thrown at him. "Shut up and let me finish."

Yzak wisely kept his mouth shut but nonetheless scowled at him. How dare he throw a pen at his commanding officer?

"Good boy," Dearka zealously chimed. Yzak gave him a warning look as if cautioning his friend to not overstep his boundaries as an underling, but the blond ignored it and continued. "What I'm trying to say is why don't you try it with Shiho first. Give it a shot. Perhaps your relationship with her will eventually become something more than of professional level. You respect her, she respects you. Court her, win her heart, heck charm her with flowers for all I care. At the end of the day, who knows, maybe she'll step out of the boundary of only being your subordinate and come to like you as a person."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this?" The silver-haired Commander rephrased curiously.

"Trust me, you'll be thanking me later. I'll let you know, she's not seeing anyone at this moment at least. Fortunately for you, this'll make it easier to court her." And Shiho, too, of course.

The silver-head could only stare at the said tanned blond, slightly perplexed that he was actually attempting to try and help instead of relentlessly teasing him.

"You'll be needing this." Dearka fished his target object in his inside jacket pocket. He pulled the object and present to Yzak what it looks like a booklet. The Elsman heir grinned before throwing the booklet to Yzak, in which the latter easily caught with one hand before dropping it back down on his desk.

"What is this?" Yzak asked furrowing his brows as he examined the thin booklet on his desk, almost treating it as if it was a vile object.

"Something to guide you with your courtship. You may be one of the best commanders we have, but when it comes to courting a woman, face it, Yzak, you lack knowledge in that department."

The silver-haired Commander narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You, my mother put you up for this, didn't she?" It was rather more of a statement of accusation than a question. It was not a coincidence that the Black Coat Captain just so happened to be carrying such a book around in his pocket. In the military, there's no such thing as coincidence.

The tanned blond winked knowingly. "Good luck, buddy. You're going to need it. Let me know if you need some pointers!" He waved a goodbye to his superior officer before prancing out of the room.

"Damn that Elsman," Yzak mumbled under his breath. "I don't need his help." His gaze fell back to the red book that was thrown to him. A look of contemplation fell on his face. Should he actually go along with what Dearka had suggested? Honestly, he wasn't so sure if Hahnenfuss still wanted to marry someone like him despite being betrothed to one another for as long as he could remember. He respected her as a solider and an ace pilot, but anything beyond that was unimaginable.

"Oh, what the hell," Yzak muttered apathetically. Perhaps reading it wouldn't hurt. After all, as much as he hates to admit, the blasted Dearka was right. He knew nothing about women, let alone how to court one. If courting Hahnenfuss would stop his pestering mother from nagging him, then so be it. He'll court Hahnenfuss to please his mother.

He sighed as he opened the blasted cursed book in front of him. Well, here goes nothing. "'7 Steps on How to Court Your Lady'…What a nonsensical title."

* * *

**A/N:** Reviews? Thanks for reading!


	2. Step One Part I: Of Peas and Hair

**7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss**

Step One Part I: Of Peas and Hair

foureyesfreak27

**Summary:** Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

**Beta-ed by: **The wonderful SIA345.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

* * *

.

Step #1: _Get to know her. __Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly. _

.

* * *

If looks could kill, the damn smirking blond waving across the dining hall would've been six feet under by now.

Honestly, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know just how uncomfortable the Joule heir was feeling about his current deposition. Subconsciously, his grip on the silverware tightened as he silently fumed. No matter how much he desired to throttle the blond, he needed to keep his composure for he was currently sitting across the table from the sole woman who was indirectly the source of this mess.

Shiho Hahnenfuss.

It all started when the silver-haired male was about to make his way to the dining hall for his lunch break. After his usual atrocious morning of going through the mountain of perpetually breeding paperwork, he had finally taken a step out of his private domain, only to find himself bumping into his most trusted subordinate. It was no surprised that they were both slightly shocked as they had not seen each other for almost a week—their startled looks were frightfully evident. Truthfully, Yzak was silently grateful that he hadn't encountered the Red Coat brunette. After forcibly reading the blasphemous book that the needling blond had given him earlier last week—and the horrendous message from his darling mother—Yzak couldn't seem to find the courage to face Hahnenfuss, let alone talk to her about their apparently ongoing engagement.

Their brief and awkward greeting and exchange of pleasantries to one another outside of his office was duly noted by the silver-haired Commander. He mentally cursed himself for his lack of professionalism. For the love of god, they were in a work environment. So, it was a necessity for him to act like Hahnenfuss's commanding officer, not as some blundering fool who has never had the pleasure of talking to the opposite sex.

"Commander," Hahnenfuss greeted—after quickly recovering from her initial shock—with a nod of acknowledgement.

"Hahnenfuss," he curtly replied with a nod of his own. He quickly looked at the woman before him from top to bottom and noted that she seemed to be out of breath. "Training stimulation?" He questioned, with a raised brow.

She gave another brief nod and stared blankly at the silver-haired male. "Yes, Sir."

An awkward pause followed shortly after.

"Well then, I'll be on my way," he said in a clipped tone, unsure what else to say afterwards. It seems that all those idle advices of how to talk to a woman from Dearka's blasted book had flown out of the window.

Another nod ensued from the brunette. "After you, Sir." She stepped aside, allowing her superior officer to go forth before her. Yzak gave another small nod before proceeding his way towards the dining hall. After a few steps ahead, he heard the clipping sound of her boots following shortly behind him.

It was a good fifteen to twenty minute walk from his office to his destination, considering that the canteen was on the other side of ZAFT Military Headquarters. But somehow, he felt as if the same clipping sound of a familiar pair of heels were following right behind his own steps. He dismissed the thought that someone was pursuing behind him and quickly distracted himself by returning a lower ranking soldier's salute and greeting as he passed by.

A few minutes into his walk, a series of chills crawled down his spine. He decidedly stopped himself to turn to the culprit who was the cause of his unease, only to find a familiar brunette subordinate looking at him with startled eyes as she halted just a few feet away from where he stationed himself.

"Major Hahnenfuss, by any chance, are you following me?" He queried, a hint of annoyance laced in his tone.

The said brunette merely blinked owlishly at her commanding officer and slowly responded. "Not in particular, Sir."

"Then why are you discreetly following my steps?" He pressed on, raising a questioning brow.

Her ever-unperturbed facial expression somehow irked him. "I am merely making my way towards the dining hall," she replied, almost cautiously. "Coincidently, the place just so happened to be in the same direction where you are heading, Sir, wherever your destination may be."

He mentally slapped himself for his absurd inquisition. Of course she'd be heading towards the canteen. It was past noon, hence, it was lunch time for all military personnel. It was a no brainer that she just happened to be going to the same place as he was heading towards.

He briskly nodded and an awkward cough shortly followed. "Of course. Well then, might I ask why are you simply walking behind me?" He peered at her from the corners of his eyes, waiting for her response.

Again, she blinked. She opened her mouth but no retort came out—a notion that mildly dismayed her commanding officer—and promptly shut it closed. Her face was like an open book to her current internal debate on how to respond without making it seem as if she was a smart-mouth. "I assumed that you were heading elsewhere, Commander. Plus, it looked almost as if you were…bothered, so I wisely decided to stay at arm's length."

He immediately frowned after hearing the unexpected reply. Was he scowling the whole time? He gingerly touched his face with both hands and evidently felt his lips forming the upside down smile. "I assure you, Major," he began, relaxing his stiff face just a fraction as he dropped both arms back to his sides, "I am not bothered by anything. If anything, I'm bothered that you were simply walking behind instead of beside me."

Her brown brows scrunched in confusion and her lips mirrored the frown on his mouth.

Ah, crap, he mentally cursed. That came out wrong. He cleared his throat and quickly rectified, "I mean, after all, we're heading towards the same place. It would make sense if we were to walk side by side instead, and it's not as if we aren't familiar with each other."

She was silent, an action that she has the tendency to procure as of lately. He was unsure what to make of it since her emotionless eyes were simply staring at him, almost as if they were scrutinizing something.

At last, after a few seconds of contemplation on her part, she finally gave a curt nod. "Of course, Commander." She then took small steps forward and stopped next to him, purposely standing a good two feet away from where he was standing. It was almost as if she was afraid of being too close around his personal bubble, a notion that somehow mildly bothered his inner self. He dismissed the absurd thought and shook his head, proceeding towards the dining hall, followed closely by his subordinate.

As if destiny hated him—before they entered their destination—both commander and subordinate ran into the one person whom the former wanted to throttle so badly. Standing right in front of them stood the least expected person the commander wanted to see; the mischievous Black Coat Captain who had a surprised look on his face. His startled expression quickly evolved into a knowing grin as he quickly made note of the situation and Yzak wanted to do nothing more than to crawl back inside his cell of solitary confinement, safe from the eyes of the public.

"Well, well, _well_, good afternoon, Yzak," he greeted with that irritating grin of his that Yzak hated so much. Dearka then turned his attention to the brunette next to the silver-head and his grin grew wider. "Afternoon to you too, Shiho."

Yzak didn't respond to the greeting for he was too preoccupied gritting his teeth in annoyance. Of all the people he had to encounter when he was with Hahnenfuss, it just had to be an ally of his pestering mother. Fate must've cursed him.

"Good afternoon, Captain Elsman," Hahnenfuss greeted politely, oblivious to her seething silver-haired companion next to her. "On your way to lunch?"

The good captain grinned even wider. It was a wonder to Yzak how far the grin could go without ripping the tanned blond's face. "Of course," he paused to look from one person to the other. "And I'm assuming you two came together?"

"No," and "Yes," were said by the respective officers. Shiho gave her commander a quizzical look but wisely kept her mouth shut.

Yzak noticed the questionable gaze his counterpart was giving him and quickly added, "We simply bumped into each other. It was a coincidence that the both of us were heading towards the cafeteria."

The tanned blond quirked a brow. Judging by the facial expression he was making, he didn't seemed to buy the excuse one bit but dropped the subject. Although unfortunately for the silver-haired commander, the plastered grin on Dearka's face didn't wither away either. "Huh. Well then, shall we?"

The party entered the already rowdy canteen and a frown marred Yzak's face as he took note of the long line of people waiting for their food. The blond gestured a hand for Yzak and Shiho to come hither, not bothered by the mob of soldiers waiting impatiently for their daily afternoon nourishment. Dearka grabbed two trays for his two companions before grabbing one off the shelf for himself. Shiho uttered a polite 'thank you' while Yzak seemed to narrow his icy blue eyes to the blond. Dearka's friendly gesture was unbecoming, and his gut told him that the blond was up to no good.

"So, Shiho, how have you been?" Dearka casually started a conversation with the brunette who was just one person down from him, Yzak being the person in between the two. He swiftly grabbed a bottle of water from the tray of drinks and placed it on his tray. Yzak scowled at Dearka, not liking his nonchalance about this situation one bit.

_Damn it all! Elsman is up to something,_ he thought bitterly.

Yzak followed the blond and grabbed a bottle of water as well as a pair of silverware. The Black Coat simply paid no heed to Yzak for he was waiting for a reply from the brunette next to the latter.

"I've been well, Captain, thank you for asking. How about you? Everything going along between you and the miss?" She replied back, referring to his relationship with his natural girlfriend.

At the mention of his girlfriend, Dearka's face visibly brightened. "Everything's going well. Miriallia's visiting her parents for the weekend." Amethyst eyes quickly made in contact with icy blue ones with merriment before slyly diverting them back to Shiho. Yzak frowned once more.

_Where is he going with this?_ He thought.

"You know, it's so good to have a _girlfriend_," the loud blond continued, purposely emphasizing the last word in hopes to get a reaction from the silver-head. "Or _someone_ at home who you can look forward to seeing after a long day of work." Yzak clenched his hold on his tray. The statement was no doubt referring to his current dilemma and the needling blond was thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. Damn the blond to the pits of hell!

Shiho, seemingly oblivious to her superior officers' silent staring match, politely nodded and said, "Yes, it must be nice to have a relationship. Miss Haw seems like a nice girl."

"You heard_ that_, Yzak? Shiho said 'it must be nice to have a relationship' with someone," The blond snickered, the emphasized words were said with an octave pitch higher than the norm.

Yzak glared icily at his second-in-command. He concluded that the suicidal blond was asking for a painful death, and he'll gladly be the one who delivers his soul to the devil. Of all the time in the world, he just had to taunt him now when the woman in question was present. Damn. Him.

"Yes, Elsman. I heard it perfectly, loud and clear," he replied with a warning tone as an indication to drop the subject. He topped it off with another glare in his direction.

The blond disregarded the notion with an offensively dismissive hand gesture and right there Yzak wanted to do nothing more than to throttle the pugnacious blond and put him in place. He may be his best friend, but said blond was clearly taking advantage of his privilege status and neglecting the fact that Yzak was his superior.

The man behind the counter preoccupied the blond for a minute as the latter contemplated on what to have for his lunch. He settled with the lunch special along with a slice of cheesecake as his desert. Yzak scowled behind Dearka who was prancing his way towards the salad bar. The Joule heir followed shortly after ordering his own lunch and was followed by the quiet brunette.

Dearka grabbed a bowl and proceeded to aimlessly put random pieces into the ever thronging dish. "Say Shiho, why don't you come and sit with us?"

Yzak almost dropped the tongs that were currently holding a handful of chopped lettuce. His neck almost snapped out of his body as his head quickly turned to look incredulously at the troublemaking blond. He wanted to say something, _anything_, but gratefully the brunette in question beat him to it.

"I don't want to intrude, Captain. Besides, I usually sit with my colleagues for lunch," she respectfully declined the invitation, looking slightly wryly at the dynamitic captain.

Of course the tanned blond would hear none of it. "Nonsense! Just for today Shiho! I'm sure Commander Joule over here won't mind one bit, don't you buddy?" Dearka patted the silver-head on his back and gave him his trademark smirk. Yzak didn't have time for a witty retort the brunette's gaze was averted to his direction awaiting for a reply.

Dearka had tactically cornered him and Yzak was lost for words. Two pairs of eyes were staring at him, one illuminated with mischief and humor while the other was, as always, pensively expressionless.

_Goddamn it!_

As much as he wanted to say 'Yes, I do mind!' he was a gentleman, an accursed gentleman who had the displeasure of being friends with a silver-tongued demon. He wasn't about to go and be rude in front of a lady and turn away from her. As much as he was a prideful commander, he was raised with manners. He could already hear in the back of his head his mother reprimanding him if he were to lack chivalry in the presence of a lady.

He closed his eyes for a long second, savoring the moment of tranquility and hoped to regain his composure before saying, "No, of course not. I do not mind at all if Major Hahnenfuss were to join us."

The Elsman heir almost shouted in glee but opted for a subtle merriment with a simple smirk: a smirk that clearly yelled out a cry of triumph. Hahnenfuss, on the other hand, looked quite taken aback, almost as if she had not been expecting his positive response.

"Splendid! It's a baby step from his introvert character, don't you think, Shiho?"

Yzak almost, _almost_ threw the apple that was centimeters away from his itching left hand. He saw the blond smirking at him of which he glared in response. _Almost_.

* * *

.

_Ask her about her likes and dislikes. This is a window of opportunity for you to start a conversation with her._

.

* * *

"So…you don't like peas," he noted nonchalantly, observing how she tactically cornered the little green balls to one place away from her main dish.

"I beg your pardon, Commander?" She looked at Yzak as if he had sprouted a second head.

Yzak uttered a curse at himself. He cleared his throat with a petty cough to cover his disequilibrium. He also cursed the blond who lamely excused himself earlier to use the washroom. It was blandly obvious to Yzak—save the quite brunette who was preoccupied eating her lunch—that the blond purposely left to allow Yzak to pursue his quest to win the lady's heart—who was currently seated across the table. He left the couple who were too engrossed with eating their respective meals rather than to start any conversations between them. Yzak had to hand it to Dearka. Before he bolted, the latter was trying so hard to start any conversations ranging from about the weather and possible future training exercises that he may deem as progress in Yzak and Shiho's so-called relationship.

Dearka wisely decided to give in and let Yzak handle the inquisition from then on as he shrewdly left the couple to themselves, saying that he would back shortly. Well that 'shortly' had been a good fifteen minutes and counting. Entering the twenty minute mark of the blonde's disappearance, Yzak grew frustrated that he was left in an awkward position with Hahnenfuss. Thirty minutes of silence had elapsed, Yzak finally spotted the culprit eyeing the desert tray across the room. The silver-head scowled and wanted to scream in frustration.

The Elsman heir decided to halt his gawking at the desert tray to locate a pair of blue seething eyes glaring daggers at him. Dearka smirked and mouthed 'talk to her' at him and ensued with a hand gesture towards the brunette in front of the Joule heir.

As much as he wanted to march up to the tanned blond and punch him, he didn't want to cause a scene. So, he begrudgingly opted to follow the latter's suggestion.

_Talking._

"You put aside your peas to one corner of your plate. I assumed you dislike peas from it," he rectified, pointing towards the huddle of green balls with his fork at hand.

She looked down to her plate and inwardly shrugged. "They're very nutritious, but I seldom eat peas."

Immediately, Yzak turned himself into a self-proclaimed nutritional expert. "Of course they're nutritious. Peas are low in fat content and contain high amounts of a health-protective polyphenol called coumestrol. This phytonutrient helps to prevent stomach cancer from forming. It also comes with high level of antioxidants that acts like an antidote for anti-aging, building a strong immune system, and giving high level of energy for your body."

Shiho blinked owlishly at her commanding officer. Her mind had stopped processing the food rant after the word phyton-something. Honestly, she had known that her commander was some sort of a health freak especially when it comes to his nutrition, but hearing an actual food rant from the said man left her utterly speechless. "Is that so?" was all she could wryly say.

The silver-haired didn't catch her hint of sarcasm for he was too engrossed with his food fetish. "They are also high in fiber and protein and regulate blood sugar digestion," he finished off, wiping a napkin to his mouth to wipe off possible excess of crumbs.

She inwardly sighed out loud. "That's…pleasant to know. Although like I said, I seldom eat peas," she remarked once again, taking a sip off of her water bottle.

He gave her a flat and unamused look. "So you hate peas."

A small and amused smile graced her lips as she shook her head. "Hate is a strong word, Sir."

"So for lack of a better word, you _dislike_ them," he dryly concluded, setting his napkin down as he grabbed his fork to cut a piece of his desert. He shoved the piece to his mouth and chewed, not once taking his calculating eyes away from the woman before him.

Shiho placed her bottle down and continued on with her previous antic; separating the peas from her main dish. "No, I _seldom_ eat peas, Commander."

"What does that even mean?" He inquired, giving his subordinate a weird look.

"It means that I don't eat peas very much."

A sigh of frustration escaped Yzak's lips. "I know what the literal translation is, Hahnenfuss. What I'm trying to understand is why are you not acknowledging the fact that you don't like peas?"

"I do not dislike peas. I meant what I said earlier; I don't really eat peas very much," she said, glancing down at her plate to search for any possible hidden peas in her meal that she missed.

Yzak had an urge to pull out his hair. The woman was mad! "You're—!" he paused to take a deep breath, "You are one incorrigible woman, Hahnenfuss." He glared at the woman across him who was meticulously pushing the last few green balls to the corner.

She shrugged once again, looking up from her plate. She stared at him, unfazed by his glowering face. "I wouldn't be your subordinate if I wasn't, Sir. I just don't feel like eating peas today."

The silver-haired almost choked on the piece of pie he was swallowing. He coughed profusely and quickly proceeded to swallow the bite before giving the brunette a disbelief look. "Well you could've saved the argument if you were to just say that in the beginning!"

She blinked owlishly once again, almost looking as innocent as ever. She find it hard to hide the urge to smirk at his sudden outburst, hence the twitching tug on the corners of her lips gave it away. "I did. I said I seldom eat peas."

The now irritated commander huffed and ran a hand down the length of his face, frustrated by the lack of progression. "Well you could've just said that you don't want to eat peas today!" He rephrased half-yelling, his voice reaching an octave higher than his normal tone.

Shiho proceeded eating her main course that was finally separated from the green peas. She took her time shoving a spoonful of mashed potato into her mouth—and was well aware that a pair of eyes were watching her every move—and chewed. She swallowed calmly and said, "I do not see the reason why you have to aggravate yourself over peas, Sir."

"So then, what do you like?" He grumbled, setting his fork down on his plate, indicating that he had finished his meal.

She raised her brow. "Like what, Commander?"

"Food-wise, Hahnenfuss," he deadpanned, almost as if it was an order for her to incline to. "What are foods you dislike and like?"

A nagging feeling tells her that something was up. It was unbecoming how the commander was suddenly and peculiarly interested with her taste of food, especially when it sounded as if he had a subtle meaning behind his interrogation. She placed her silverware down and sighed before peering right into a pair of curious blue eyes. "Did Captain Elsman put you up for this, Commander?"

He looked caught off guard before spluttering, "What? _No_! What does he have to do about any of this?"

She shrugged indifferently as she grabbed her napkin and began to dap it around her mouth. "I don't know, Sir. But somehow, you sounded as if you were teasing me."

"I'm just trying to have a conversation with a colleague. Is that so much to ask?" He sounded almost as if he dreaded talking in the first place.

She shook her head and refrained herself from saying something witty. "No, but it's quite peculiar. Let alone, you sitting in the same table as I am is already out of place."

"And what do you mean by that?"

She stopped to look at him once again, raising a daring brow up. "Sir, you tend to scare off anyone who gets in your way and would prefer to be alone. Or, you'd sit with Captain Elsman who is just about the only man in here you're not irritated with."

"I don't find you irritating," he grumbled. But right now, he finds Dearka very irritating. Speak of the devil, where the hell is he?

"Except me," she rectified dryly, giving him a flat ook.

A retort was already forming in his mouth but it dawned to him that she had a valid point. He simply growled lowly before harshly shoving another piece of his pie into his already opened mouth—which he winced from pain since the fork clashed sharply against his buckteeth—and chewed, promptly ending further discussion on the topic.

* * *

.

_To finish off your first conversation, compliment her. Women love being complimented be it their outfit of the day and/or their hairstyle._

.

* * *

Time was clearly not on his side. So far, the only topic that they somewhat amicably conversed was about peas. Good god, what was the matter with him? If Dearka gets a load of this, he'll probably bawl his eyes out from laughter. They have about another ten minutes before lunch break was over and by the looks of it, Hahnenfuss was about to finish off the last portion of her pie. The damn Dearka was still missing and Yzak is certain that he had purposely left them alone to talk to one another for the remainder of lunch. Well, his plan was absolutely flawless, he thought wryly.

He stole a glance at the woman sitting before him who looked like she was immensely enjoying her slice of pie. Think of something to say damn it, he cursed himself. The only thing that he could think of, besides her everyday military uniform to compliment was her hair.

"Your hair…" he began after a long periodical of silence. "You did something different to it?"

She scrunched her brows together, unsure what to make of his question. "My hair has been kept in the same monotonous hairstyle I've been having for the past seven or so years, Commander."

"Oh," he lamely replied. Well, that went well.

After another minute of awkwardness, Shiho finally decided to speak her mind, tired of her commander beating around the bush. "Sir, I've been serving under you since the day I graduated from the Academy. You could have saved yourself the trouble from asking me idle questions if you want to know me by reading my profile. I would have thought that after all these years, you would have the decency to at least look into my profile that the Academy has sent you."

Yzak stared at his subordinate, dumbfounded by her sudden rebuttal. Perhaps it was the fact that she was spot on. What a cunning minx.

The two stared at each other, engaging in an ongoing staring contest, daring the other to break the stare first. Yzak's stubbornness made him a worthy opponent, but Shiho's calm, unperturbed, patience was something not to take lightly. They didn't even realize that the blond had finally returned from his long rendezvous until he made his appearance notable by speaking up.

"S-o, how was your little chit-chat?" Dearka wondered, cheerily.

The silver-haired was the first to break his eye contact and mentally cursed himself for losing the battle. He glared at the blond next to him and sneered. "_Marvelous_," Yzak spat out, standing up way too fast for he had made the table clatter from his abruptness. He stepped out of the chair and proceeded his way to throw his trash into the bin, put the silverware and plate inside their respective containers, before strolling out of the dining hall without so much of a glance back at the table behind him.

The rest sitting around the table were in silence until Dearka broke it. "Shiho, what's wrong with him?" He wondered, watching the retreating form of his friend.

Shiho finally sighed and stared deadly at the said blond with mild irritation. "Captain, did you know that peas emit high level of energy to your body? I suggest you stop eating peas before you overly combust from being too hyperactive." With her two cents uttered, she promptly got up and muttered an 'excuse me' before following Yzak's lead.

Dearka watched her retreating form with a perplexed look on his face similar to the one he had with Yzak's. "What the hell was that about?"

* * *

**A/N:** Reviews? Thank you for reading!

**Guest**\- Thank you for being the first to review! I will :D

**Fhkes**\- Haha well having an account have its advantages :D Aw, thank you! Yes, no time to edit. I tried to but it's just too time-consuming T.T These two are one of my favorite pairings! I love writing Yzak! He's too grumpy and lovable at the same time.

**Tynuccia**\- Aw, thank you! Yes, our favorite blond Coordinator is an expert with love advices.


	3. Step One Part II: A Sore Loser

**7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss**

Step One Part II: A Sore Loser

foureyesfreak27

**Summary:** Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

**A/N: **Wow. I did not expect a lot of reviews last chapter! I'm so excited that you all enjoy this story so far! Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own GS/GSD.

**Warning:** This chapter has not been fully edited yet. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

* * *

.

ZAFT Captain Dearka Elsman reported himself to the Military Headquarters a little past seven o'clock that one morning, a cup of hot coffee towed with one hand and another cup for his best friend along with a brown bag of fresh bagel with the other. A plain bagel with cream cheese spread was hanging from his mouth as he muffled incoherent greetings to other soldiers passing by. Lately, he begrudgingly had become his commander's little errand boy for the past week to buy a decent cup of hot coffee every morning. According to Yzak, his favorite coffee house's barista was on a sick leave for at least another week due to a bad case of cold. The silver-head adamantly refused to buy his morning fuel from his regular place for the temporary replacement was 'an incompetent teenage wretch who does not know how to make a single decent cup of morning coffee to save her life', his best friend's words, not his. When Dearka suggested to just grab some coffee from the canteen, he was given a response in a form of a glare. _Nope, definitely not from the dining hall_, he concluded wryly.

So because of the silver-head's misfortunate incident, Dearka had the unwanted designated job to find a replacement for his commanding officer's morning fuel. He was stumped, of course. Usually every morning, Miriallia would be the one who make his coffee and prepare his breakfast before work. Unfortunately, she was called for a commission work on Earth for a week in the Kingdom of Scandinavia, much to his chagrin. So he was stuck with making simple breakfast and half-ass coffees for his mornings until she returns. And since he had the misfortune of making sure Yzak gets his hot cup of morning coffee, he decided to just make one for the silver-head himself as well. Unlike Yzak, he has quite the sweet tooth, hence, he would zealously put bags of sugars and creams in his coffee which would result a hyperactive cheery Dearka every morning.

He wondered why Yzak didn't assign this tedious task to Shiho, but then quickly dismissed the notion. After their failed attempt to converse anything but the topic of work, the two—mostly Yzak—were avoiding each other like plague. Yzak did the most and would walk the other way whenever he sees her, treating her as if she was infected with some kind of chronical disease. Although when they do come across each other, their professionalism was top notch, acting as if their once awkward exchange had never happened. Which, of course, appalled the Black Coat to no end. So now, here he was, as a second-in-command-turned-secretary about to enter his boss's office to hand over his breakfast.

Dearka didn't bother to knock or press the intercom to alert the silver-head that he had arrived. He simply used his knee to press the button, confidently knowing that the door wasn't lock this morning. "Good morning, Yzak," the golden-haired captain chirped happily through a mouthful of bagel as he trotted inside the dark domain.

The silver-head muttered an incoherent greeting and gave the blond a quick look before averting his gaze back to the computer screen. The greeting was ensued by a clipped demand. "Coffee."

Dearka frowned as he took noticed of the closed blinds on the window, blocking the glorious beaming morning rays of today. "Serious, Yzak?" He gave his best friend an unimpressed look. Yzak simply ignored him.

"Coffee. Now." Demanded the sleep deprived man, holding out a palm. The Black Coat Captain inwardly sighed and shook his head. He held out the hand that contains the cup and breakfast to the silver-head. The latter didn't waste any time and snatched the items away. With his once preoccupied left hand being free, the blond took the bagel out of his mouth and began to munch on it casually.

Yzak set aside the bag and dived into the morning fuel. After about a second of gulping, the silver-head pulled the cup away from his lips, almost repulsively, and stared at the blond across him.

A blond brow was raised in return, demanding what else could go wrong. "Black coffee with two bags of sugar, skim milk, no cream, decaf for today right?" Dearka listed the ingredients by memory. He put down his coffee on a vacant place on the paper-filled desk before making his way towards the closed blinds to open them. The silver-haired man involuntarily flinched at the sudden brightness in the room but refrained from making any comment.

Yzak then furrowed his brows as his lips curled upward into a grimace. "No, I believe I texted 'black coffee, _one_ bag of _raw_ sugar, _no_ skim milk, _no_ cream, and _not_ decaf'." He glared at the cup before setting it down on his desk, wishing it to disappear into oblivion.

Another frowned marred the blond's face. "I didn't received any texts from you. I assumed you wanted the same type of coffee like yesterday."

"I _hated_ the coffee yesterday," he deadpanned, making a sour face as his tongue began to remember the taste of yesterday's sweet coffee.

The former Buster pilot shrugged indifferently as he pulled up the last blind of the final window. "Well, you've complained about the last five coffees I've given you this past week. How the hell am I supposed to know how you like your coffee?"

Yzak stopped typing to give him a flat look. "You should know by now."

"_No_," the blond intercepted, shaking his head in disagreement. "Your secretary/ace pilot should know by now, not me." Indirectly, he implied a certain specific brunette who dutifully performs her job without question.

All he got was a low growl and a glare in response.

"Yzak, you look like shit," Dearka finally noted dryly as he sauntered towards the desk and took a seat across his best friend. He finished his last piece of bagel—licking the cream cheese excess off of his fingers—and grabbed his cup off the table, taking a long nice sip of the sweet liquid. He then settled comfortably on his seat and placed his two long legs on top of the desk earning yet another glare from the silver-head. Amethyst eyes scanned their counterpart and twitched at how Yzak's usual pristine white and ironed uniform was now dull and unceremoniously folded with wrinkles.

"Shut up, and get your feet off of my desk," Yzak growled, glaring at the disturbance. As per usual, his demand was ignored by the blond.

Instead, Dearka opted to press his question further. "Jeez, did you even went home last night?" The blond asked rhetorically, almost too casual that he nearly didn't catch the unexpected reply.

"No."

Dearka blinked, faltering his lackadaisical attitude just a tad bit and subconsciously dropped his long legs to the ground. "C-come again?"

"No," he repeated once again, much darker. His blue eyes never leaving the screen. "I didn't."

Blond brows knitted together. "And why not? So you're telling me that you've slept in your office last night?"

The silver-haired commander relented and made an exaggerated hand gesture towards the piles of papers stacked neatly on top of his desk, something that the blond failed to notice earlier. "With those, I couldn't possibly go home. I was up trying to finish the last few pile of papers and managed to have the time to do a little research." The last fortuitous statement piqued the blond's interest.

"Research? About what?" The golden-haired captain echoed questionably, narrowing his amethyst eyes curiously to the man across the desk.

A thick manila folder was thrown in front of him. A questionable gaze was delivered in return from Dearka. Cautiously, the blond grabbed the folder off the desk and began to mindlessly skim through the files. After the first few pages, and seeing a certain brunette's small military portrait on the top left corner of a sheet, amethyst eyes widened in consternation.

"You've researched about _Shiho_?" Dearka looked up at his friend in disbelief. He sounded more accusing rather than conclusive.

"Yes," was the casual reply from his counterpart, who inwardly shrugged.

Dearka opened his mouth and then promptly closed it. Nothing seemed to be coming out since he was completely rendered speechless. The man _researched_ her? Good god, this was _not_ going according to plan. He was supposed to_ talk_ to the girl, not _look_ her up as if she was some kind of criminal.

Finally finding his voice—and after blinking to regain his momentum—the blond spluttered instantly. "Yzak, this is ridiculous. This isn't even a little, this is a shit _load _of information. You're practically stalking the girl."

Yzak looked somewhat insulted. "I am _not_ stalking. For you information, Major Hahnenfuss gave me permission to look up her profile in the ZAFT Personnel Data Base," he argued defensively.

His friend gave him a wry look. "Yzak, half of these information are not even about her. They're about her _ancestors_," Dearka purposely stretched the last part as if it was a disturbing and absurd thing to even look into.

As if he had reminded him to do something, the silver-haired commander perked up and snapped his fingers. "Oh, those are from HR. Remind me to give those set back to them later today."

The blond could only shake his head. "This is absurd," he muttered incoherently. Dearka then sighed and closed the files before tossing it back to the desk. "Is this even necessary? You could've just ask her, you know?"

"Are you that senseless?" The silver-head rebutted, sounding incredulous. "I tried and she won't give in." He had told the blond, after much insistence from the latter, about their somewhat unproductive conversation they had last week. As expected, the damn Elsman was quite disappoint by the lack of progression, but nevertheless the good captain quivered in delight that they managed to converse in a topic that was unrelated to work.

"You mean you've tried and you've _failed_." The blond rectified, giving his best friend a disapproving look. He remembered the story all too well.

The Joule heir sneered. "No one asked you, Elsman. Be a good soldier for once and stop criticizing your superior officer," Yzak threatened, through his gritted teeth.

The tanned blond dismissed the empty threat with a hand gesture. "You're hopeless," Dearka sighed in resignation.

Yzak scoffed snobbishly. "I beg to differ. I call this an alternative tactic to gain valuable information and I succeeded."

Dearka shook his head once again. Of course, he'd thought of it like that. Now how the hell was he supposed to ensure that the Joule heir have at least one decent conversation with his lady? It seems like every time those two tried to take a step forward to a new territory in their relationship, they would somehow managed to find themselves in square one all over again. Surely, Shiho would do anything but to sit with them again during lunch time, especially after that unprogressive conversation they had that day. The blond wanted to shake his friend, hoping to put some sense in his oblivious mind. How can someone so smart be so stupid at the same time?

As if a silver lining was given to him, Dearka's sullen mood began to perk up as an idea began to brainstorm in his mind. "You what, Yzak? Let me handle and plan out the drills today."

A look surprised settled his face from the shift of gears but then evolved into a look of skepticism as Yzak's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You want to lead today's training?" He articulated the words slowly as if he was trying to figure out if he had heard correctly.

The Elsman heir nodded vigorously, almost too eager for the silver-head's liking. "Yes, I'll lift a load off of your shoulders for today." Somehow, Yzak didn't like the sound of that. There was a reason why he was responsible of almost two hundred and fifty lives aboard in the _Voltaire_ and _Rousseau._ And having the men and women's lives vulnerable in the hands of Dearka was doing anything but ensuring their safety.

"What do you want?" The White Coat finally asked. He was in no mood to beat around the bush. And if Dearka has some hidden agenda, he would rather hear it now than regret it later.

Dearka frowned once again. "What do you mean?"

Unamused blue eyes bore into amethyst ones. "Whenever you're nice or _trying_ to be helpful, you have some tricks up your sleeves and they are neither amusing nor beneficial in any circumstances. They cause more harms than good," he added as he reminisced all the escapades he was reluctantly pulled into in the past, all of them orchestrated by the dynamitic blond and no surprise that they all ended in a bad note.

The blond captain feigned a look of hurt, dramatically touching his chest with both hands. "I'm hurt you thought that I would do such a thing." His only response was a dry look from his best friend. "Look, I'm doing you a favor, which is—granted—very rare. And with all the stupid paperwork that I am obligated to do—"

"Which you've yet to finish and you are about a day's worth of paperwork late," Yzak cut in, wryly.

"—I am trying to help you out. You are doing thrice the amount of paperwork that I'm doing," Dearka finished off smoothly as if Yzak's interruption wasn't there to begin with.

His friend shook his head. "No," Yzak said with finality. "Use your time wisely to finish _your_ pile of work first before offering any assistance to someone else." He raised an enquiring brow to the blond in front of him.

The captain of the _Rousseau_ snorted. "Of course I'll be finishing my loads by today," he chided with a grin.

The White Coat gave a flat look, thoroughly doubting his words.

Dearka inwardly shrugged. "Plus, I'm betting my money that someone will be coming in any seconds with another pile of paperwork for you to do fairly soon."

As if it was déjà vu, a knock ensued shortly after the tanned captain's statement.

Yzak narrowed his eyes dubiously at the man across him before buzzing the intercom. "Who is it?"

"_It's Major Hahnenfuss, sir_," the speaker replied curtly. Instinctively, Yzak peered back to blond and scowled accusingly, seeking any answer from the captain to see if he was the one who set this up.

A knowing grin was already forming on Dearka's lips and he was trying so hard to stop it by pursing his lips together, which inadvertently failed miserably. Dearka merely shrugged inwardly, as if he had no clue that this was actually happening.

"_Sir?"_ The feminine voice questioned, bringing the silver-head back from his trance.

He pressed a green button and granted her access. "Come in," he managed to say steadily. Immediately, the Red Coat brunette strolled inside with both hands occupied. A stack of paperwork was towed with one hand and the other with a cup of coffee. Instead of saluting her commander like she'd normally do, she gave him a curt nod. Noticing that her commander had a party, she averted her gaze to the tanned blond and bowed her head.

"Good morning Commander," she greeted Yzak, then switched her gaze to Dearka. "Captain."

"Why good morning to you, too, Major," Dearka greeted sweetly, smirking at Yzak would looked like he wanted to pugnaciously pummel the tanned blond across him.

"Is there anything you need, Major Hahnenfuss?" Yzak asked in a clipped tone, getting straight to business much to Dearka's chagrin. He stared impatiently at the woman before him.

The Red Coat subordinate nodded, her placid expression didn't falter by her commanding officer's sharp intonation. "Commander Grabowski would like you to look over these files." She then placed the neatly stack of paper on top of his desk. Yzak wanted to pull his hair out in vexation. Why does it feel like he was the only competent commander in this damn place? He dutifully finish stacks of paperwork after paperwork endlessly and no matter how much he has done, it wasn't enough to satisfy this damn military. He grimaced at the newly stack, just how much more paperwork could his tried hand handle?

"Thank you, Hahnenfuss. If it's not a burden, do you mind sending those," he gestured the finished piles that were set aside on the corner of his long desk, "to their designated function?"

"Certainly, Commander." She was about to grab the piles but then paused to look down at the cup of coffee in her hand. "By the way, sir, this is for you." Hahnenfuss held out the cup to her superior, waiting for the other man to take it from her.

Yzak stared blankly at the cup presented to him before looking back up to meet her cool violet eyes. "For me?" He parroted, almost dumbly. That earned a muffled snicker from the blond in front of him.

"Yes," she simply replied, her unfazed violet eyes bore deeply into his.

"I never ordered you to get me a coffee."

Dearka, who was slouching comfortably in his chair, raised a knowing brow up. "I believe I now know where your missing text to me was sent to, Yzak," the Black Coat supplied, grinning from ear to ear. Yzak sent a glare to the tanned blond who simply shrugged, that grin of his did not falter in any ways.

"Although I appreciate the gesture, Hahnenfuss, I don't recall giving you any specific orders to buy me coffee," repeated Yzak, scrunching his brows in confusion.

The brunette raised a brow in defiance. "You certainly did, sir." To prove her statement, Shiho pulled out her mobile device from her pocket and search for the evidence. "Here. The text." Scowling, he got up from his chair and snatched the mobile device from her hand to read the supposed text message he had accidently sent to her. After reading the two-line text, his scowl faltered and was replaced by pursed lips. The notion finally dawned to him that he had indeed sent a text that was meant for Dearka to Hahnenfuss.

"This…was not meant for you," he said, admittedly, quite flustered. His face began to flame in color from his sudden perturbation.

Shiho quirked an eyebrow and a flash of hurt graced her face before quickly recovering with a placid expression. She pulled back her outstretched arm that held the coffee and said, "Oh. So then, I'm assuming you don't want it." Her gaze was then averted to the coffee cup on his desk and added, "Since you've already had your morning cup."

Dearka shot his friend an irritated look, almost baffled by how aloof his best friend was regarding the brunette's act of kindness. The disapproving look was not unfathomed by the silver-head since he wanted nothing more than to kick himself for sounding so heartless to his loyal subordinate.

"No!" He retaliated, too quickly. He quickly looked over at the blond, who looked like he wanted to burst into a fit of laughter from his sudden outburst, before gazing back to the confused brunette. He closed his eyes, hoping to regain his confidence, before sighing. "No," he repeated once again, softer. "I'll take the coffee." He held out his palm, gesturing her to hand over the cup to him.

She hesitated. "Are you sure, Commander? Honestly, you don't have to. I don't want to force you."

The White Coat snorted and quickly blanched. "I'd rather have your coffee than that vile liquid Elsman gave me. His is overly sweet to the point I want to vomit." Dearka chuckled. Really, his best friend was quite the character. But nevertheless, it was the closest form of apology he'll give to her. Yzak wasn't the type of person who likes to admit their mistakes, for him at least, the five letter words—not 'like' or 'love' since they were _four_ not five—of forgiveness was one of the hardest word to convey. He wasn't a man of sweet words, let alone sugarcoating statement to sway people like Elsman. He was far from being a charismatic fellow (unlike Elsman). But he knows when he has done wrong or have unintentionally insulted someone whom he admired far too greatly, so instead of professing the universal apology, he would always opt for a more subtle one. Something that's more…Yzak-like.

As if those words had a profound meaning, the hard stare she was giving quickly melted into her regular expressionless façade, but not before a quick flash of relief graced her face. "Alright," she said, handing the warm cup to her superior officer.

The Commander muttered a quiet appreciation, which resulted in a another snicker from Dearka, before sipping from the cup right away on purpose, just to show how much he was in fact rather thankful for the thoughtful gesture. To his surprise, the coffee was just as he preferred it to be. Not sweet, but dark, bold, and strong. He could even taste just a hint of the raw sugar overflowing the liquid. Overall, he was immensely pleased with the coffee, at least, it tasted better than the crap Dearka had given him earlier.

The silver-head cleared his throat. "I-thank you, once again, Hahnenfuss." He raised the cup and nodded to his subordinate in appreciation.

"You're very welcome, Sir," she replied, with a tug on the corner of her lips. She then made her way around the desk, ignoring the knowing grin that the tanned captain was giving her, and took hold of the two thick piles. Before she turned, she noticed a manila folder laying carelessly on top of a pile of disarrayed and unfinished papers. She grabbed the file and frowned, unsure if the folder was part of the finished stack. "Commander, do you also want me to bring this file, too?"

Yzak peered to her from the corners of his eyes as he took another sip off of the good coffee. "Which one?"

She held up a thick file that read 'Human Resource Department: Confidential File of ZAFT Personnel' and quirked a brow. "This one."

Seeing the bolded ink on the folder, both Commander and Captain's eyes widened and looked alarmed—Dearka even sat up from his slouched position. "Except that one!" they both simultaneously cried out, quite frazzled. Shiho yelped as an unexpected hand quickly snatched the folder from her grasp. She looked up to find Dearka laughing nervously as he hid the folder behind him. A perplexed expression graced the brunette's face.

"Y-yeah, this folder is mine. Sorry about that Shiho," he quickly explained with a nervous laugh, sparing a look at Yzak who looked rather pale. Dearka then anxiously cleared his throat, "Well! I stayed here far too long. I guess I must go and attend my duties now."

"Yeah, you do that," said Yzak, giving the tanned blond a long stare as if he was communicating with him through his eye contact. 'Get that file back to HR immediately' was his eye-message.

The Black Coat nodded in understanding and quickly trotted towards the door. Before he steps foot outside, he turned around and called out, "Oh and Yzak?"

"Hn," the silver-haired man grunted impatiently, wondering what else the blond had wanted that stalls his imminent duties even more.

A lazy smirk plastered across his face. "For the love of god, please go on and take a shower before you start off your day." With that said, the Elsman heir pranced out of the room, laughing. Yzak glowered at the blond's silhouette before promptly sitting back down on his chair, palm slapped against his forehead. Jeez, that was close. Deadly close, and to think that she was holding the file that pertains her personal information.

He noticed that the quiet Red Coat was silently staring at him from his peripheral vision and scowled. "What are you looking at?" He glared at her.

Hahnenfuss pursed her lips, attempting to hold back her grin, and shook her head. "Nothing, sir." She paused. "But would you like me to prepare a new set of uniform for you?"

The silver-haired commander opened his mouth to protest but ended up making a false start. He sighed and finally relented. "That will be most helpful, Major Hahnenfuss," he reluctantly admitted, the scowl he had on his face did not wither one bit.

.

* * *

.

Commander Yzak Joule contemplated on whether or not he regretted allowing—he had yet to concede or reject the idea—the blond captain to facilitate today's training exercise. But judging by the eagerness and the relief expressions the men and women of his team were displaying, he was leaning more towards the latter; regret.

"Okay everyone. Today, we're going to do something a _little_ different. We're going to get to know each other by playing 'Two Truths and a Lie'."

_Especially_ when the Black Coat had announced a stupid game as replacement of their daily 'exercise'.

"The setup is going to be like speed dating. Make sure to keep track of your scores and tally them up at the end. You and your partner will make up three statements, two of them will be something that are true about you and the third will be a lie, hence, 'Two Truths and a Lie'. There are no limits to the amount of rounds you do as long as you keep track of it, and don't bother lying because, trust me, I will know." He paused to give the team a warning look. "If your partner cannot detect the lie, then you get the point. But if they do, then they'll get the point. You will all have three minutes to play the game with each other. When you hear the bell," Dearka tapped a tabletop bell, "it's time to switch. At the end of this exercise, the one who has the most wins will be granted one week of _paid_ leave."

Yep, he _definitely_ regretted letting the blond have his ways.

Hearing the grand and privilege reward, the Joule Squadron from the _Voltaire_ and _Rousseau_ immediately began to erupt in a state of excitement. For once, they were doing something relaxing rather than performing their everyday monotonous training stimulations that they could practically perform in their sleeps.

"What the _hell _are you doing?!" the White Coat hissed sharply to his second-in-command next to him. "I _never _conceded to this mindless activity, Elsman!"

"Re-lax, buddy, I know what I'm doing. I'm doing you a favor," the tanned blond simply replied, grinning lazily. He was so immune to the silver-head's outbursts that he kept his lopsided grin, not faltering it one bit.

The silver-haired man narrowed his eyes. "_Favor_? What _favor_?" He spat out.

Dearka patted a reassuring hand on his best friend's shoulder—Yzak simply glared at the repulsive grip on his shoulder before viciously shaking it off. "Just trust me." Somehow that statement did not calm his inner beast down. The former then looked back to the crowd and smiled charismatically. "Alright, people! Settle down and find a seat. Make sure you leave a seat vacant for our favorite Commander!" A chorus of agreement was said as the subordinates began to set up the place, placing chairs side by side for today's supposed 'training'.

Yzak's eyes widened as he gritted his teeth in annoyance. "_WHAT_?! Since when do I have to partake in this stupid activity?!"

"Since I'm trying to help you get with Shiho," Dearka deadpanned, giving Yzak a flat look.

The commander turned away, hiding the growing blush on his face. "I told you I don't need your help, Elsman," the silver-head sneered angrily. "I am capable of doing this myself."

The tanned captain scoffed doubtfully. "If you think that conversing about 'peas' and 'hair' was an actual progress in your relationship, then I beg to differ, buddy."

The slander was like a slap on the face. In retrospect, he _did_ try to make a casual conversation that excluded anything regarding work. But damn it. Hahnenfuss has the knack to make him forget that he's actually trying to…_court _her. He blanched at the latter thought. If he knew that courting a woman, _specifically_ Hahnenfuss, was going to be this _hard_, he would've at least taken precaution and consideration about this whole relationship before he agreed doing something unbecoming like this.

The tanned captain guided him—it was more him _shoving_ the silver-head than guiding—to a vacant chair on the end of one side. He noticed that everyone had taken their seats and spotted a particular brunette sitting six chairs down across from him. He scrunched his brows in confusion as he looked up at Dearka. "Why aren't you participating?" He asked, curiously.

The blond inwardly shrugged. "Someone has to act like the mediator and make sure you don't screw up," Dearka mused, chuckling. Before Yzak could retort, his friend patted one last hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly, before making his way to the makeshift podium. "Alright, alright, alright everyone! Let the games begin!" _Ding!_ Everyone began to animatedly talk to one another within seconds after the bell rang.

Yzak released a dragged breath in hopes to keep his anger at bay. He rested his heavy head on his palm, massaging his temple from the throbbing ache that was forming in his head. Damn that Elsman.

"Er, Commander?" A timid voice called out across him unsurely.

Yzak peered slightly from his rested position to find a red-head Green Coat, giving him a worried look. He recognized the gentleman as a newly recruit on his team from the welcoming ceremony last month. "Yes…Lieutenant Moreno?" He replied, slowly.

The red-head shifted nervously in his seat, and it was duly noted that he was trying to look anywhere but the Commander he had the misfortune of being assigned to first. "S-shall we begin, Sir?"

The White Coat sighed. He reluctantly sat up and looked at the Green Coat before him who slightly jolted. "We shall. You can start it off for us, Lieutenant." He motioned a hand gesture to the younger man to begin.

If you can't beat them (Elsman and his stupid ploy), make it easier for yourself and join them.

.

* * *

.

The Joule heir will never admit this out loud, but he was actually…_enjoying_ this game. He'd rather die than admit it openly, especially to a certain needling blond, but this exercise was rather amusing in its own ways. He had discovered many peculiar things about his teammates.

For instance, Lieutenant Alec Moreno has not three, bu_t five _older terrorizing—according to the man—sisters. The Lieutenant explained how he would dreaded being forced to 'model' as a mannequin for them, wearing make-ups, clothes, jewelries and many other women accessories. He noticed that whenever the said lieutenant would tell a lie, he would divert his gaze to the floor, making it easier for Yzak to detect the false statement.

A Red Coat by the name of Lieutenant Major Cecily Jenkins has a peculiar taste in food, specifically the fruit genre. She seems to be favoring a fruit that specifically was grown in the Equatorial Union called _Durian_. According to her, it was a fruit that is rich in flavors and has a custard-like texture. In addition, they come in very foul fragrance. Many people tend to avoid the spikey fruit since it smells like "rotten flesh" or as if someone has passed gas. After hearing the latter statement, Yzak made a mental note to never get close to the fruit called "Durian" if he were to visit the Equatorial Union as an envoy. He also noted that she tends to fidget her thumbs together whenever she's nervous, a telltale that she was a terrible liar. Yzak easily distinguished the lies and truths just by looking at her fingers whenever it was her turn.

So far, he was winning, and it felt so damn good to have the upper hand. Whenever he challenges Zala (he would always scowl when he utters that name) he would always lose. The only time he managed to beat Zala was back in the Academy days when he scored a higher mark in marksmanship simply because Zala just had to be sick that day. It was not a fair win much to his displeasure.

"Commander," a familiar velvety female voice greeted. The silver-haired commander looked up only to find his loyal subordinate taking the seat right across him.

"Hahnenfuss," the Joule heir nodded in acknowledgement.

The blond commentator smiled at the start of a new session. "Everybody ready? Begin!" _Ding!_

"Ladies first," Yzak said, motioning the brunette to begin.

"I believe my superior should start," Hahnenfuss countered, smiling politely.

The silver-haired commander raised an enquiring brow but relented. "Well, if you insist, Major Hahnenfuss." He cleared his throat. Perhaps he should go easy on her the first round. After all, he's been mercilessly winning one round after another. "I hate clowns," he began in a steady voice, keeping a straight face.

He stole a glance at Hahnenfuss who, like always, had that composed expression on her face. Somehow, just looking at how calm she was, makes him want to yell at her to get some kind of reaction.

He continued on, "I've always had a bob cut hairstyle all my life."

Hahnenfuss let out a small snort, but quickly covered it with a cough. Yzak paused to give the brunette a strange look. "Are you all right, Hahnenfuss?"

She nodded and straightened her posture. "Yes, I apologize for interrupting. Do continue, Commander."

He casted another wary look before continuing as she suggested. "I've been acquaintance with Elsman for almost twenty years. Now it's up to you to decide which one is the lie." It was a dead giveaway, but he'll let her have the first round.

The brunette simply stared at him with calculating eyes, almost as if she was trying to figure him out. But then after about five seconds had elapsed, her statement had caught him off guard.

"I believe they are all lies."

Yzak blinked. He was clearly not anticipating such blunt and…_highly_ unexpected reply. "_Excuse me_?"

"They are all lies," she repeated once again affirmatively, quite abrasively, too, if he might add. Especially for him.

He narrowed his blue eyes at her. "And why would you say such thing, Major?"

She had the audacity to shrug. Really, she was rather bold when voicing her own opinion to her commanding officer. "You don't _hate_ clowns," she rephrased his statement. She then quickly elaborated her bold accusation shortly, "You have _coulrophobia_; you have a _fear _of clowns."

"And how would you know?" He challenged back, he was rather quite irritable that she would accused him so bluntly.

"Sir, I undoubtedly remember the time when you adamantly refused to be a clown when General Dunner assigned us to help out at a local preparatory school for their annual carnival day festival," she explained, with a small grin.

Of course. He _loathed_ that stupid day. That stupid potentate had assigned a handful members of the Joule Squadron—_he_ was begrudgingly included in this group—to help out in his youngest daughter's school for their carnival day festival because the school just so happened to be short on staffs. How the hell could a school be short on staff members? Jeez, don't they have parents that are available to volunteer to take their places? But _no_, that stupid General just had to bring a platoon of young soldiers who had no idea how to deal with children under the age of ten and demanded them to heed his orders or else he will write them up for insubordination.

"That doesn't conclude that I am afraid of clowns, Hahnenfuss," he retorted, rather menacingly.

The brunette scoffed, earning another glare from her commander. "Sir, you grew rather pale when Captain Elsman snuck up behind you in a clown costume and you were stringing some colorful words at him in front of the children for 'scaring you shitless'," Shiho dryly added, quoting his actual words from that horrendous day. Many parents were not happy that their 'innocent'—to him they were more like the devil's spawns in disguise—children were present when he had his indiscreet outburst.

When he didn't respond, she move on to his next statement. "You had long hair once when you were little, I believe they were extensions. Perhaps, sometimes back when you were in your preparatory school years?"

"No, I never did," he vehemently denied, scornfully.

The Red Coat slyly smirked as she raised an enquiring brow. "Oh?" she feigned surprised. "Does 'Cinderella' ring a bell, Commander? Or should I say, 'Ella'?"

Oh _**no**_. No, no, no, no, _no_!

During his fourth year of preparatory school, he was casted as a main cast member in their annual school play. That year, they played 'Cinderella' on stage, and oh how he _abhorred_ that stupid and girlish-fantasy play. According to his teacher, in order for the boys and girls to have equal parts in the act, they were to pick a part out of a hat, regardless of whether the part was a male or a female one.

And much to his dismay, he just had to pick out a slip of paper that read 'Cinderella'. He blanched after looking at the part and immediately caused a fit.

According to his teacher, he was in no position to switch parts with any girls. The night of the performance, he was forced to wear silver extensions that matched his hair, pounds and pounds of cosmetic products, a ruffle blue dress that miraculously fitted his frame, and to top it all off, he was to speak in a high-pitch voice that is akin to that of a young girl's voice.

He wanted to burn every one of those last damn pictures of him in that stupid dress.

"Who told you that story?" He demanded darkly. "Was it Elsman?" If it was, he was going to _murder_ that blond. He made the Black Coat swear on his life that he wouldn't so much breathe another word about that day to any living soul. Dearka had a female part, too. But unlike Yzak, he had thoroughly enjoyed the part he got since it was, much to Yzak's displeasure, a part as one of the evil step-sisters. That night, the Elsman heir—who was 'Anastasia'—wholly took advantage of his part on torturing him as 'Cinderella'. Damn Elsman.

"Your mother," she simply replied, momentarily displacing his momentum. "She even graciously provided me a picture of you."

_Mother_, he thought bitterly. Of course, his mother would share his humiliating childhood moments to his apparent fiancée.

He face-palmed his forehead and ran that hand down the length face in frustration. He will have a talk regarding on what his mother could exploit to his apparent betroth the next time he visits her.

"Your supposed 'lie' was that last statement. You've been friends with Captain Elsman for _nineteen _year, not twenty years," she finished off, with a hint of smugness on her expression. "I believe that's one point for me, Commander. And now, it's my turn."

The silver-haired man gritted his teeth as he clenched his jaw. "You—"

_Ding!_

"Alright everyone! On to the next person!" Dearka announced, unbeknownst to him he had cut off Yzak's sentence. The latter fumed. _No!_ They were _not_ finished! He refused to accept that Hahnenfuss got the best of him.

The White Coat abruptly stood up, startling the brunette sitting across him. "Everyone sit back down," Yzak commanded out loud, authoritatively.

Blond brows knitted together in confusion. Dearka gave his friend a peculiar look. "Yzak, what are you—"

"—extend this session by five minutes," he finished off with finality.

Dearka spluttered instantly. "You can't do that!" he protested, miffed. "That ruins the whole purpose of this game!"

The Joule heir glared at the blond. "I can and I will, I _am_ the Commander of the team. Now do as I say." He then turned his gaze back at the brunette sitting calmly on her chair as she watched his every move. He promptly sat down, keeping his blue eyes in contact with violet ones.

"Game on, _Housenka_." Blue eyes narrowed dangerously to violet orbs that gazed daringly back in defiance.

"Do your best, _Commander_," the brunette smirked with a raised brow.

As the game continued, Shiho began to grow suspicious of how exactly her commander knew her background from the ambiguous details to the specific ones, some that the brunette wasn't well aware of—especially those regarding her ancestors. Due to the loud verbal spat that the two were having—most of the spat was done by the silver-head while the Red Coat subordinate looked calm as ever—many had abandoned their own games to huddle around the two, curious about their heated battle. Throughout the game, the team somehow managed to divide themselves into two teams, one rooting for the commander and the other for Hahnenfuss.

At the end (due to time constraint), both Shiho and Yzak have won themselves one week of paid leave since they were both neck to neck with a score of 30-30, much to Dearka's chagrin. The blond was now inevitably stuck overseeing the team by himself for the one whole week without any proper assistance. After all, his intricate plan had somewhat backfired him quite well.

Damn it.

.

.

.

* * *

**A/N:** Yzak is competitive by nature :D Any ideas for Step Two? What shall Yzak and Shiho do during their one week off? Let me know by reviewing!

By the way, I honestly wasn't so sure if Yzak and Shiho are in fact engaged with one another. I just assumed since Shiho has a crush on him and Yzak was fond of her. And since Yzak came from an influential family, I would've thought that he would be in an arranged marriage like Athrun was with Lacus.

So let's just continue for the sake of the plotline that Yzak has been engaged with Shiho since they were little. :D

.

**Guest**-Thank you for reviewing and reading the story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Yennefer**\- Yes! Honestly, Yzak is by far my favorite character to write! It comes easily for me to write his grumpy self! Since Shiho never had a dialogue in the series, simply a cameo, I'd figured she'd be someone who's quiet yet very cunning. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words! Thanks again for reviewing!

**SheepyTheSheep** (Love the name by the way!)- I totally agreed! It's hard to find Shizak fanfictions nowadays. I got into writing GS stories after re-watching a marathon of GS/GSD despite my busy life! Thank you for giving this story a shot!

**Tynuccia**\- Definitely! I pictured Shiho to be an obedient and quiet girl, but is not afraid to speak her mind out when necessary. Yzak is definitely having a hard time wooing his woman! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!

**Arika518**\- I'm so glad you gave this story a chance! I honestly wasn't sure if people would like to read Shizak story since from the looks of it many people prefer Cagalli and Athrun. I love that couple but somehow I love Yzak and Shiho more! Thanks again for reviewing!

**Char**\- Yes, it's been awhile indeed. I hope that there are writers out there that are still writing Yzak and Shiho stories. Haha, yes, that is true, but hey! At least she made a cameo in the GS series! Plus, if and when the GS movie (that's unfortunately still in Development Hell) comes out, we'll probably be seeing her more often.

**Yomako tekinda**\- Thank you for your wonderful review! Haha yes, there's not a lot of Shizak fanfictions out there. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!


	4. Step Two Part I: Of Devious Mothers

**7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss**

Step Two Part I: Of Devious Mothers

foureyesfreak27

**Summary:** Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

**A/N: **Another update people! Love the reviews and support from you all! Without further ado, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own GS/GSD.

**Warning:** This chapter has not been fully edited yet. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

* * *

.

Step #2:_ Make her laugh. Girls love guys with a great sense of humor. But don't try too hard or else the joke may be offensive or mean, because you never know that you might had just indirectly insult her—which is a big no-no. Instead, be smart with your humor, but don't go too dramatic with it._

.

* * *

Yzak had a permanent scowl on his face for the past hour and a half as he sat across the two females who were the sole caused of his throbbing headache. The fragile tea cup that he was currently holding shook with such fury, spilling its hot content all over the small dish that the tea cup was hovering over, as the silver-head silently trembled in a mixture of anger, resentment, frustration, embarrassment, and humiliation.

Why exactly was he sitting mutedly on a chair on a fine Monday late morning when he should be at work?

Let's take it back a few hours ago that had led him to this exact disposition.

It all started fairly early in the day, when he was forbidden to step one foot in the premises of the headquarters. No, you didn't hear it wrong, he was _forbidden_.

_._

_Approximately 3 hours ago…_

.

The silver-haired man impatiently tapped his foot on the ground, lips pursed tightly into a thin line, and arms crossed as he stared at the men standing approximately five feet away with narrowed-eyes.

How he ended up in this sticky deposition, he may never know.

But one thing he _did_ know was that he wanted to choke someone to vent out his frustrating disposition. Truth be told, Yzak was completely _aghast_. Unlike any regular soldier who would take the opportunity of their week leave and leisurely spend their time with their families or go out, the Joule heir adamantly refused to leave his duties in the hands of Dearka Elsman. So approximately at seven o'clock, he reported him to the military headquarters and was in for a rude awakening. The White Coat was dreadfully rendered speechless with the discovery of five or so armed soldiers uniformly flocking the front entrance of the building like loyal watchdogs. And the moment they laid eyes on their silver-haired target, they immediately straightened their postures and stood shoulder to shoulder with another.

Yzak scowled, annoyed that they were blocking his entrance on a Monday morning, as if the name of the day itself wasn't dreadful enough since it was a reminder of a brand new week, he was blocked by the five-some soldiers. He sidestepped to the left, evading the guards but like magnets, they were peculiarly adamant on following the silver-head's steps and like before, they blocked his entrance. Yzak released a low irritated growl. What the hell is the matter with these morons, blocking his path and all?

Frowning deeply, Yzak asked a member of the watchdog nearest him, "What is going on here, Soldier?"

The man in question saluted promptly, "Commander Joule of the Joule Squadron, you are hereby denied entry to the ZAFT Military Headquarters for the remainder of the week as of today. If you were to resist, Sir, we were ordered to utilize any means if necessary to prevent you from entering."

Yzak's eyes widened from hearing the explanation. What did he just say? _Denied entry_? The Commander was appalled,_ flabbergasted_ even, at the drastic measure to ensure that his presence was blockaded when all he was trying to do was to report himself to work.

To _work_.

Was there any valid excuse to stop a man from reporting himself to work?

Shouldn't they appreciate that there was at least one person in the damn military that was eager to perform his duties faithfully? Hells, what kind of military rejects a soldier who willingly offers themselves to work on their supposed week off? Surely the ZAFT Forces must have gone mad. The stupid guardsmen had granted access to everyone but him…_why_? He could tell that the guardsmen weren't exactly happy about their newly assigned post of having to deal with him, but quite frankly, he could care less.

So of course, to no one's surprise, he blew up. Quite uproariously, that is.

First off, he is of higher rankings than these buffoons so they have no place to say that he _cannot_ enter the premises. Secondly, he already denied his leave of absence that was granted from that stupid obnoxious game, so again, there was absolutely no reason to ban his entry. And thirdly…well, there wasn't any other reason to his argument but point being was that he needs to go to work. Pronto.

For the past fifteen minutes, he has been heatedly arguing with the head platoon protesting very exuberantly, much to everyone—especially the armed gunmen—displeasure in the vicinity of just how much of an idiot they were being denying a commander's entry to the military headquarters. Yzak angrily called the said soldiers 'morons who have no sense of duty and are the epitome of senseless human beings in the universe'—which attracted many bystanders trotting their way to the building.

The soldiers' unperturbed, solemn, and unflappable expressions were taking his vexation to a whole new level of acrimony. Yzak had to hand it to who ever made these idiots the watch guards, they were highly trained to not be faze by any verbal insults. But realizing this somewhat redundant information did not stop the White Coat from protesting. Finally, after some verbal threatening on his part and not to mention the soldiers guarding the entrance grew quite tired of quarreling, the latter group relented—not granting him access—but simply telling him that a bigger boss had ordered this and they were in no position to surrender to Yzak.

"The Chairwoman specially ordered us to make sure that you are nowhere near the premise of the headquarters, Commander Joule," the squadron leader finally explained, grimacing. He looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but there and quite frankly, the silver-haired commander couldn't blame him. After all, not many people would want to go up against the silver-haired commander without being scared senselessly.

Yzak paused and blinked. His seething glare faltered just a fraction after hearing the highly unexpected answer from the soldier. _What did he say?_ "Wha—? The _Chairwoman_?" He paused for a moment once again and allowed himself to process the information and then, of course, he exploded. "_CLYNE_?!"

The silver-haired commander sounded quite frazzled and distressed, he cannot fathom why the Chairwoman of all people who be ordering this atrocious thing. Many of the soldiers glared at him, completely miffed by how the Joule heir was addressing their leader with such informality. Yzak paid no heed to them. Ranks be damned. The former songstress-turned-chairwoman would always be referred as Clyne or simply Lacus by him. But getting back on track...Clyne? _Clyne_ ordered these morons to stop him from going to _work_? Has everyone in the damn ZAFT Forces gone _mad_? How the hell was the Chairwoman of PLANTs, Lacus Clyne, involved in his personal affair in the first place? Yzak narrowed his eye suspiciously. Unless someone tipped her about this stupid thing. Who the hell could it—?!

His icy blue eyes widened as the sudden realization occurred to him. He gritted his teeth, annoyed.

Oh,_ hell_ no.

Only one familiar name popped to his mind.

And it was the one and only Dearka Elsman.

_Damn that treacherous bastard_. Why? Why would he take such drastic measure by including the Chairwoman? But then again, Yzak dismissed the redundant notion because he knew the answer himself. _Of course_, he'd ensure that the White Coat wouldn't go to work for this week and would do whatever it takes for him stay away from the headquarters. That damn needling blond will surely be written up for insubordination. He was surely going to go ballistic now. _Why?_ Why was _she _involved? Why the hell was the whole world so against him? What has he done to deserve such cruel treatment?

He turned around, his back facing the platoon guarding the entrance, as he fished for his mobile device inside his pocket. He pressed a speed dial number and prayed damn hard that the person he was contacting will pick up their phone before he will go apeshit on someone. And right now, the most likely candidate for the beating would be the guardsmen hounding the front entrance.

"Come on come on _come on_! Pick up the damn phone, you idiot!" Yzak muttered impatiently, glaring down to the ground. Once he gets hold of Dearka, he will have his say about this absurd scene that was currently being unfold in front of him.

Finally, after the sixth ring, the other end picked up. "_Hel-lo buddy_," the other line greeted casually as if he was conversing about the fine Monday weather. Speaking of the damn weather, the atmospheric condition in Aprilius One was paradox with his current dark mood and hearing how chirpy his friend sounded on the other line was not doing any justice.

"'_Hello_'?" Yzak began, incredulously. Irritation laced in his tone after hearing just how casual his second-command was. "Is that all you could say right now, 'hello', you damn idiot?! Do you realized that I've been denied access into entering the headquarters because of you?! Damn it, Dearka!"

"_I'm well aware, Yzak_," he simply said, and evidently, the tone was very condescending.

The Joule heir was rendered speechless. He opened his mouth and then promptly closed it for nothing came out. He opened his mouth again, but like before, _nothing_. The former Duel pilot made many false starts in attempt to say something, _anything_, to counter back and put some sense in the mindless blond on the other line.

Finally found his voice, he cried out with clear agitation, "Then can you do something about this, Elsman?!"

The reply was immediate and simple. "_No_."

Again, speechless. Just how many times has he been rendered speechless in the span of twenty-four hours? No, _less_ than twenty-freaking-four hours. For Pete's sake, it was still fifteen before eight o'clock in the morning and he was already having massive headache from this mess. "_No_?" Yzak managed choked out, flabbergasted. "Did you just say, 'no'?"

"_Indeed I did, no_," he repeated once again, almost in a bored-like tone.

It wasn't what he said per se, it was _how_ he said it, boosting with confidence and definiteness, and of course nonchalance. If only the damn blond was right in front of him this moment, he will surely put the idiot in place, preferably his own violent version of disciplinary. Yzak made another false start before growling instantly, "You _moron_! I already told you I don't need a damn week off! I _need_ to go back to work, unlike you, I am responsible of over two hundred and fifty lives abroad on _my _ships and I refused to leave my job with the likes of you!"

Dearka chuckled deeply on the other line, and in no way was that helping the silver-head's mood better. "_Relax, Yzak. I'm hurt that you don't trust me that much to take care of business here."_

"Damn right, I don't trust you!" He screamed, stomping his foot in a child-like manner. "It's a wonder that Clyne made you my second-in-command!"

He could sense the blond captain wryly smiling. "_Yzak, take a chill pill. I know that I cannot possibly run this squadron by myself, so Kira is helping me out for the time being_."

The silver-head paused, his early fuming deflated a notch. "Yamato?" He parroted, caught off guard.

"_Yes, the Kira Yamato_." He could imagine Dearka rolling his eyes, judging by how nonchalant he had said it.

Yzak narrowed his blue eyes, wondering why the hell Yamato would be helping the blond run _his_ team. Was Dearka that incompetent in running the Joule Squadron alone? This was why he needed to go inside, to sort out this fine mess before any catastrophic events occur. "Why would he do that? He has his own squadron to worry about."

Dearka inwardly sighed. "_Apparently, he's temporarily assigned to our team for the rest of week. His second-in-command is running the show in the Yamato Squadron in his stead because he's capable of performing the job_." The latter statement was said begrudgingly in annoyance.

Yzak didn't bother to pay heed to the rest of the information. His mind had stop processing after the first statement. "Temporarily assigned—_what the hell_?! What in the name of PLANTs is going on right now?!" the silver-head roared. He ran a hand through his platinum locks in vexation. Why does it seemed as if the whole damn world was against him?

But most importantly, why does he feel like he was exempt from a hidden explanation?

His friend continued. "_Look, just enjoy your leave of absence. Do something with your life for once, Yzak. Preferably spontaneous. Go visit your mother. Hells, I suggest you use this time to go on a date with Shiho_."

His mouth gaped open in shock. "Visit my mother and—_date_? Hahnenfuss? _DEARKA_!" The silver-haired commander grounded in annoyance at the last absurd suggestion.

The blond sounded unfazed by the loud screech. "_Yes, that sounds splendid, actually. Yzak. Unlike you, Shiho happily took advantage of the privilege bestowed on her," _he chided to himself, amusement laced his tone_._

Yzak closed his eyes, valuing the moment of equanimity before dangerously hissing lowly, "Dearka, I suggest you stop with your absurd approach."

And to no surprise, his good advice was easily disregarded by his friend. _"Buddy, I'm making sure you're using this week off wisely to get acquainted with Shiho_," Dearka deadpanned with finality, leaving no room for argument.

The man was really pushing his button. Yzak wanted to do nothing than to bang his head against the wall, hoping that everything right now was merely a bad dream. A horrible dream that was not going to be a reality and the moment he wakes up, this horrendous nightmare will all go away. "You—!" he began, flustered. "You don't have the power to do that! I am your _commanding officer_, Dearka! I order you to put an end to this foolishness right this second!"

His best friend/subordinate had the audacity to chuckle in ridicule, raising the silver-head's current irritation to a whole new level. "_You see Yzak, that's where you're wrong. I didn't authorize this—Lacus did_."

The White Coat blinked owlishly, momentarily displaced by the latter statement. "What?"

Dearka sighed, exasperatedly. Clearly, he sounded miffed being stuck as a mediator and the messenger in this situation. "_Lacus authorized it. Look, I knew for a fact that you refused your week leave. In all honestly, Lacus didn't even know about our little game. She came in this morning to ensure that you were to not report to the headquarters as of today for the remainder of the week_."

Yzak squinted his eyes as he made a wild hand gesture in the air. "Why would she even bother? And all of the sudden? She knows that I am one of the most, if not, the _only_ exemplary commander capable or running one of the most elite squadron in this whole goddamn military!"

"_I don't know, Yzak. She pulled ranks on me to make sure that I wouldn't aid you in any way with my connections_."

The silver-head let out a roar of frustration. "Why the hell would she want me to keep the stupid bargain?! You said so yourself that she wasn't even aware of the stupid game we played last week! Why the hell would she interfere unless—"

Then all of the sudden he gasped. As if the impossible jigsaw puzzle that he was begrudgingly made to figure out had all finally made sense.

_Of course_ that person would take such measurement like this to do something outlandish and beyond his expectation. Why hadn't he thought about the possibility earlier? Who else had connections inside ZAFT and the Council but was no longer active in PLANTs politics? There was only one person he could think of, and quaintly enough, he has the misfortune of being related to.

_Mother._

He visibly grimaced in distaste. Of course, his mother. Oh, for the love of the ZAFT Forces, she had every single one of his friends at her beck and call. Including the most powerful person in PLANTs. Goddamn it. He doesn't know how or why she knew of his supposed week leave of absence, but he was going to find out soon enough. But oddly enough, no one knows his mother's phone number save him and Dearka. He narrowed his eyes, then who the hell could it be? Wait a minute, he's talking to the damn needling blond on the phone right now who was his number one suspect.

"You told my mother, you damn traitor," he darkly stated, accusingly. Trust Dearka to rattle this stupid thing to his mother.

"_What? No! Why would I tell your mother anyways? If anything, I _want _you to come to work since right now I'm stuck with the inevitable piles of crap that you haven't finished yet,"_ the Elsman heir growled, irritated. _"This is so unfair. I wish we could trade places."_

The Joule heir frowned. If it wasn't Dearka, then who could it be?

The fair-head then scoffed and crossed his free arm over his chest. "You're the stupid one who just had to make up an equally stupid game in the first place."

"_I don't need to be reminded twice, you idiot_," he replied, flatly. He then released a tiredly sigh. _"Look, I have to get back to work. Unlike somebody, I have a pile of shit to look after for the rest of the week._"

The White Coat harrumphed. "Whatever. I'm going to take up your suggestion and visit my mother. I have a nagging feeling that she's the reason why I'm forbidden to go to work. But just remember Elsman, make one error this week, your head's mine."

He could sense the Black Coat flinching on the other line from the threat. Dearka would usually dismissed Yzak's threat as something that weren't worthy of dwelling on, but right now, he undoubtedly believe in it, word for word, especially considering how he was to deal with the Joule Squadron without its commander. "_Duly noted_," he replied, sullenly. The line was shortly cut off. The silver-haired commander then maneuvered around, glaring at the loyal dogs hounding the gates and sneered. "You will all regret going against me." The guards simply blinked, disregarding the possible threat as an empty one.

Yzak sent one last seething glare before stomping out of the vicinity and hurriedly made his way towards the parking lot. He needed to drive to the one place he hasn't visit in a while.

His mother's.

.

* * *

.

Yzak impatiently rang the bell thrice. When the door wasn't answered, he growled in irritation and opted for a more barbaric antic, knocking repeatedly on the door—quite loud and rapidly. He paid no heed to the fact that this might alarmed everyone inside. He didn't even bother informing his mother beforehand that he was dropping by but quite frankly he could care less. This was an urgent matter to attend, his men and women's lives were at stake if he is not at work. Hells, he has nothing against Yamato—and he was certain that the Chairwoman's significant other was more competent than his own second-in-command—but he'd rather be the one who runs his own team, not someone else. Finally, after about a minute of continuously knocking against the wooden frame, the door swung open and a rather annoyed looking butler made appearance. He opened his mouth to demand just who in their right mind would do something so atrociously rude but then the retort died after seeing the familiar face standing before him.

"Y-young Master Joule! Welcome!" the butler greeted politely with a hint of surprise. By the looks of it, the older man was not informed that his young master was coming for an audience. "Shall I inform your mother that you are here, sir?"

Yzak shook his head as he took a step into the threshold. "No. I'll tell her myself. Where is she?" He hurriedly asked, glancing around the foyer and beyond to find the familiar silver-haired matriarch.

"She's in the veranda with a guest, Young Master," the aging butler supplied. "Allow me to escort you there—"

"That won't be necessary, Samuel." A familiar feminine voice suddenly cut in.

Both men turned to find a silver-haired woman holding a tray of finger foods and a maid behind her holding a similar tray but towed with two tea cups and a teapot.

"Mother," Yzak greeted, nodding his head respectfully. "It's been awhile."

Ezalia Joule was a very precocious woman. Poised with the air of regal and elegance, she was indeed a proud and noble matriarch of the Joule family. The former Councilwoman has been under house arrest ever since the end of the first Bloody Valentine War for being a big supporter of the former Chairman, Patrick Zala. Hence, shortly after the end of the war—in which she was arrested by Clyne Faction, most notably by Eileen Canaver—and was forced to resign from her post. Shortly after her resignation, she was given the warrant of house arrest and was to confine in her humble abode until further notice. The term 'house arrest' was an overstatement. She wasn't really restricted in the Joule Estate, she was granted the privilege to go about and visit other PLANTs colonies as along as she takes the bodyguards who were assigned to her.

Although her 'house arrest' has long been done since the second war, the former Councilwoman decided that she enjoyed living the luxurious life inside the Joule Estate. She claimed that living her retirement days allowed her to find some enjoyable past times such as tending a garden that she has been growing for the past few years, writing a contemporary novel, learning some new languages, acquiring new tricks of culinary arts courtesy of some chefs, and picking up some other things that Yzak finds very peculiar—at least, in his opinion that is.

The butler that greeted Yzak hurriedly relieved his lady by taking the heavy tray of food from her in which the latter graciously appreciated for she began to make her way towards her son. "Yzak, darling," his mother fondly said as she engulfed her son in a motherly embrace. Yzak, blushing from the display of affection, awkwardly returned the hug, noting how the butler and the maid behind his mother were softly giggling at the touching reunion of mother and son.

His mother pulled back to examine him as he placed a soft small hand tenderly on his cheek. "You haven't visited in almost a month." She scolded accusingly, a frown marred her ageless face as she peered right into familiar blue eyes that matches hers.

Yzak offered a small token of apology in a form of a small smile. "My apologies, Mother. Work has been…well, overwhelming these past few months."

A thoughtful face was made as the regal woman tilted her head slight to her left. "This is an unusual day for you to visit though, aren't you supposed to be at work, Yzak?" She eyed the white uniform he was still clad in with a questionable gaze.

As if she had reminded him of something that was deemed important, he narrowed his gaze. That's right. Interrogation. He wanted to interrogate his mother, mostly to find out if she was the culprit who indirectly was the cause of his temporary banishment from work. "Yes, I'm supposed to," he replied, in an unnerving calmness.

A quizzical yet guarded expression graced her face, almost too innocent to go unbeknownst. "Then why are you here on a Monday morning?"

The man in question raised an enquiring eyebrow, not buying her lousy acting one bit. "Mother, I'm on an unwanted paid leave of absence. For a week," he deadpanned, looking highly unamused. "Dearka is taking over for the duration of my absence."

She feigned a look of shock, covering her mouth with a palm that was inadvertently failing to cover up the telltale knowing smirk on her lips. "Oh? That is worrisome."

Yzak clenched his jaw in irritation and a tic of nerve popped on the side of his temple. His mother was one horrible liar. "Don't be coy with me, Mother. This was all yours doing."

"Whatever do you mean, dear?" She asked innocently, batting her long lashes. Seriously, are all mothers this cunning? Scratch that, are _all women_ this cunning? Acting as if they weren't the culprit of a disastrous event? Specifically the one he had his morning.

The silver-head snorted, crossing both arms across his chest as he stood tall in defiance. "Lacus, really Mother?" he inquired, unimpressed. "You just had to get the Chairwoman involved in my personal affair."

His mother chuckled at the sour expression that he was making. His frown evidently deepened by her display of merriment. "I simply asked for a favor, dear. And our Chairwoman was wholly on board with this plan."

"I need to go back to work," he spat arguably, through gritted teeth. "Dearka is incapable of running my squadron alone. Please, kindly do the military a favor and revoke your ridiculous request to the Chairwoman."

She waved a dismissive hand. "Nonsense, Yzak. You deserve a week of absence. I'm sure that young Elsman will be fine without you. Plus, I've heard that another commander is aiding him so there's nothing to fret about."

His eyes widened at the revelation as he pointed an accusingly index finger at his mother. "So it was _you_!" He growled, back-pedaling at what she just said as it undoubtedly confirmed his growing suspicion.

The ageless woman rolled her eyes. "Oh stop it, dear. Pointing that atrocious finger at me is very unbecoming of you."

"Mother,'" he grounded out, bitterly. He leveled an unimpressed stare to the beautiful woman. Really, he loved his mother but sometimes he feels like he's suffocating in misery whenever she aggravates him to no end.

The Joule matriarch paid no heed to the warning from her son. She simply waved yet another dismissive hand and motioned him to come hither, urging him to follow her previous destination before his unexpected arrival. "Come along now, dear. I was just about to serve some tea in the veranda by the garden." The maid and butler dutifully followed their lady as she led their way outside towards the back. She then abruptly paused to peer behind to the maid. "And do grab another teacup for my son, please." The maid nodded in understanding and quickly made her way back towards the kitchen to do as she was told.

Yzak on the other hand rooted himself in place as he penetrated a hard glare behind them, irritated that things were not going his way, before visibly relenting in utter defeat. He released a long dragged out sigh before hastily walking past the butler to stride beside his mother as she guided them to the veranda.

He took note of the two small desert plates along with a plate full of assorted finger foods on the tray that the butler was holding, something he had failed to notice earlier. Now that he remembered, the maid was also holding a tray of two teacups. Yzak furrowed his brows in confusion. Surely his mother cannot possibly know that he was visiting before he came unannounced, which led to one sole reason why there was two small plates. "Are you by any chance entertaining a guest?" Yzak asked, curiously.

The silver-haired woman nodded. "Indeed I am. A guest has been an audience of mine since early morning so she has been keeping me quite preoccupied," his mother admitted, not a hint of apologetic laced her tone. Yzak absentmindedly nodded, but then his eyes widened in alarm at the unexpected usage of pronoun.

_She_?

"Shiho, it seems we have another guest," Ezalia announced in merriment, pulling her son by the hand as she led them past the threshold and into the patio overseeing the vast garden. Yzak eyes widened as he mindlessly allowed his mother tugged his hand as if he was an ethereal being.

Hold on, rewind. Did she just say _Shiho_? As in _Shiho Hahnenfuss_, his most loyal subordinate and apparent _fiancée_?

He wanted to face-palmed his forehead in vexation. Oh, for the love of god, was this really happening to him?

The familiar brunette, who was sitting patiently in her seat, looked up, startled by the unexpected visitor. Her disequilibrium was quickly replaced by a solemn look as her manners kicked in.

"Commander, what a pleasant surprise," the brunette greeted as she stood up from her seat. She was clad in civilian clothes, skinny pair of jeans and a loose fitted white V-neck top. It seems unusual for him to see her so…mundane. He would always see her in that familiar red elite uniform but never in a civilian attire.

"Why are you here?" he blurted out, not paying any consideration that the question he placed sounded rude and blunt. Before Shiho could reply, his mother beat her to it, a frowned marred her porcelain face as she began to scold her son for being obnoxiously rude in the presence of a lady.

"Yzak! Mind your manners!" She reprimanded sternly, glaring mildly at her son.

He stared with narrowed-eyes to the woman he called mother. "Why is she here?" he repeated once again, calmer and directed the inquiry to the latter.

His mother huffed, her frown deepened at his lack of mannerism but nonetheless supplied an explanation. "Miyako had graciously baked me a marble pound cake this morning. Shiho, being the nice and obedient daughter she is, took the liberation of delivering it over here." She then threw a soft prideful smile to the brunette who was slightly blushing by the small compliment directed at her.

The Joule heir couldn't help but to make a grim expression. Of course, she would. Miyako Hahnenfuss and Ezalia Joule became fast friends upon their children's engagement years ago. General Hahnenfuss, Shiho's father, and his mother were acquaintance with one another after being introduced through mutual friends and they both proposed that their only children should be bind together for the sake of producing more generation of Coordinators. Now that he thought about, just how the hell did they decided to partner up their children without so much of a warning back then?

Ah, that's right. Freaking Zala.

After the announcement of engagement between Zala and Lacus back then, his mother decided that she too should find a suitable partner for him to be engage to. Goddamn it Zala, damn him to the pits of hell for inspiring his mother to saddle up her only son in an early engagement. Hells, Dearka wasn't even in any damn forced engagement like the rest of the lots, kudos to him. The bomb of his apparent engagement was dropped on him on a random day by his mother when he was still attending the Academy. He remembered that day very well. His mother had informed him via a video call if he had remembered a girl name Shiho Hahnenfuss who apparently, according to his mother, was a short-lived playmate back when he was a toddler. As a fifteen year old boy who had never so much given a second glance towards the opposite sex, let alone have any girlfriends and whatnot since he was concentrated on beating Zala in the Academy (unlike Elsman), his mind drew a blank. Plus, how in the world was he supposed to remember something, or anything that is, that occurred before the tender age of six?

After that peculiar question, the conversation took in for a big turn, dropping the big announcement that he was now officially engaged to this faceless Shiho Hahnenfuss. He yelled, protested, threw a fit, demanding why he was engaged to someone so early just like Zala—he could never say that name without hissing in distaste. His mother silenced him with a simple glare and scold him for his lack of etiquette and told him that nothing can void the engagement for it was already been made official. He ended the call earlier than usual, insisting that his lecturer had called him—which of course was an excuse to close the unwanted conversation—and that he was to report to the training ground soon. And much to his chagrin, his day went tumbling downhill. He was outranked by Zala yet again, hells, even Dearka got a better score than him in a training stimulation and the blond claimed that he wasn't even trying (something that sorely added more salt to his already bleeding wound). And ironically years later, he was in one hell of a surprise when she was assigned to the Joule Squadron near the end of the first war. Seriously, it was like as if fate hates him for some stupid reason.

But wait just a damn minute. Hahnenfuss. Here. His mother. Blue eyes widened at the sudden realization, as if everything now had made some sort of bizarre sense. Satan's hairy ass!_ Hahnenfuss_ was the one who told his mother about his leave of absence! He glared daggers at the brunette, who had that stupid unperturbed expression on her face. Oh, he was going to ruin that expressionless façade of hers soon after a little talk with her.

"Hahnenfuss. Inside. Now." He didn't wait for a response, he simply walked past his baffled mother and the curious butler as he trotted back inside the house.

Wordlessly, Shiho automatically followed behind, giving the Joule matriarch an apologetic look as she quickly made her way inside the vast estate. She abruptly stopped herself as she spotted the silver-haired man pacing back and forth across a large majestic tapestry near the grand staircase. "Commander," she called out, calmly.

Yzak stopped to turn at the sound of his title and glared at the woman before him. "You! You told my mother about this stupid thing!"

Shiho blinked. A perplexed expression graced her face. "About what?"

The man before her trembled in clear vexation as he made wild hand gestures in the air. "My leave of absence! That's what! I should've known, you know damn well I turned this stupid offer down last week! Thanks to you, I am forbidden by Clyne to report to work! To _work_, Hahnenfuss! Not many men and women would give up their chances of a break just to jump right back to work damn it!"

The brunette looked too sedated even if she had just been accused of executing something she did not do. She waited a few more seconds for the vexed silver-head to calm himself down just a tad bit before finally speaking up. "I did no such thing, Sir."

Yzak did a double take. "What?" he demanded.

"I did no such thing, Sir. Although, I do offer my deepest condolence for your temporarily banishment in the military." she added, slightly snickering at the absurd latter notion.

The silver-haired commander leveled another glare, clearly doubting her claim. "Then how do you supposed my mother knew about my apparent leave of absence? Because someone allegedly tipped that information to her which led her to call the Chairwoman to ensure my leave of absence was still taking affect as of today!"

Shiho shrugged indifferently, dismissing the hostility her boss was emitting to her. "Perhaps Officer Elsman?" she suggested, half-heartedly.

"Dearka didn't do it! The only other person who personally knows my mother from my squadron is you!" He hissed, his glare multiplied tenfold. Like always, his hostility was unfazed by her.

"I didn't tell her," she rephrased her prior statement once again, sighing in resignation.

Yzak scoffed and snarled, "Then who did you tell? You must've told someone."

"My mother," she simply said, her tone was an uncanny resemblance of the very essence of the word 'duh'. That rose Yzak's level of irritation up a notch and in no way was it mollifying his current disposition.

"Well then I am certain that _your_ mother spilled the beans to _my _mother! Given that they are very close to one another she's bound to tell her like an old gossiper!" he cried out, logically reasoning the undoubtedly possible deduction of how his mother knew of his apparent break.

She seemed to ponder on the thought, nodding slightly as if she had discovered something mildly interesting. "Oops," she muttered, but her tone of voice was an antithesis to the word she said since it held no feeling of remorse whatsoever.

Yzak was addled and convulsed. 'Oops'? That's all she had to say knowing that she was the indirect cause of his banishment? "'_Oops_'?" He repeated his thought out loud, incredulously. What the hell was the matter with women these days?! Can't they give the opposite sex a break from their senseless and indefinite actions?

"What is going on here?" A stern voice suddenly demanded. Both commander and subordinate turned to find the Ezalia frowning as she approached the couple. "Yzak?" She glanced at her son, hoping to get out some information about their little dispute.

"Nothing," he bit out, jaw clenched as it took all his will power to not blow up. "Just…clarifying some minor details." The last statement was said in a much darker tone.

Ezalia furrowed her brows as she narrowed her blue eyes, scrutinizing the younger man before her. Finally she made a small shrug. "Well then, let's have some tea shall we?" She looked past the couple as the maid from earlier began to approach them with a tray towed with teacups and a teapot.

The Hahnenfuss heiress politely shook her head in declination. "I believe I should be going, Mrs. Joule."

"Nonsense dear, I already prepared tea for all of us." Ezalia looked from her son to her daughter-in-law-to-be. "Now I may be old, but I know when a couple just had a lover's quarrel—"

Both Yzak and Shiho gagged and blushed respectively at the brazen terminology.

"—but really, dears, now is not the time to be spatting at one another," she smiled, knowingly. Yzak opened his mouth to protest but the words died before he could say anything since his mother sent him one look as if daring him to defy her words. Another protest was about to be made but she raised an enquiring brow to emphasize her bold action. The silver-haired commander gritted his teeth. Damn it all. Nothing was going right today.

So now here he was, sitting, silently seething in annoyance as he glared at the two human beings who had caused him to have such a massive headache. They had been idly chatting with one another for the past hour, ignoring his very existence, laughing and ridiculing him, at least, from his perspective. He forced himself to take a sip from the hot earl grey tea, hoping to mellow down his current irritation. But to no surprise, it wasn't helping. Perhaps some nourishments will do the trick. He spied the assorted finger foods on the platter, grimacing at the sight of the arrays of sweets. He hated sweets. He eyed the least fallible treat that was decent enough to eat, which were the glazed fruit tarts. He picked one up, peering slightly to the ladies—who still haven't acknowledge his existence since they sat down—and shoved the pastry to his mouth. He chewed and promptly stopped, bad mistake. It was _too_ sweet.

He made a face, grabbed a handful of napkins from the napkin dispenser and spat out the sweet pastry from his mouth to the sheet.

"Yzak, are you all right?" Ezalia asked, worriedly. Yzak looked up to find both women staring at him. Oh, so now they finally acknowledge his very existence. He bit his tongue to stop himself from saying snarly remarks and opted to simply reassure her.

The silver-head coughed slightly and nodded, "I'm fine, Mother. Just ate something rather…bland." He grimed at napkin, crumbling it up into a wrecked ball and placed it aside on the coffee table. The Joule heir grunted, slouching farther down in his seat in consternation. Why the hell was he still here anyways?

The Joule matriarch absentmindedly nodded, her worried look still graced her face but nonetheless dropped the subject. Instead of pressing on the topic, she opted to divert to another subject, concerning both her son and Shiho.

"Shiho, how is it working under my son?" Ezalia asked, curiously, peering at the brunette sitting beside her. "Because I know for a fact it's not easy working alongside with him." Shiho muffled a laugh, glancing humorously at her seething commanding officer.

Yzak choked at that, immediately straightening his slacked posture. "Mother!" he called out, angrily. He glared at the older woman sitting across him. Both ladies paid no heed to him for they were too engrossed with one another.

"Everything is well, Mrs. Joule," the brunette replied, the corners of her mouth still tugging, evidently showing just how much she was amused. She stole a glance at the annoyed commander. "Although his temporal attitude tends to get the best of him."

Her commander glared at her. "You are asking to be demoted, Hahnenfuss."

The Red Coat shrugged indifferently, dismissing the empty threat. "I'm merely stating the facts, Commander."

Yzak gritted his teeth. Are all women this stubborn...and so goddamn difficult? For crying out loud, he was her commander! Why was she dismissing him as if he's not worth listening to?

Shiho suddenly glanced down at her wrist watch and frowned at how late in the morning it was. "Well, I best be on my way. I need to run some few errands for my mother."

The older woman paused her movement, which was ascending the teacup to her mouth, and frowned, "Already?"

The brunette sent her an apologetic look. "Yes, although I wish I could stay longer—" the man across her scoffed in disbelief—which was wisely ignored by her, "—but I really have to go now." She stood up from her seat, causing the lady to procure the same action—except her son who silently was still sipping on his tea. Shiho bowed her head in appreciation. "Thank you once again for your hospitality, Lady Joule. I'll be sure to give your greetings to mother."

Ezalia hummed thoughtfully to herself, glancing back at the younger woman and her son who was leisurely sipping his tea. Her devious brain began to orchestrate some kind of plans that involves the couple. After all, they are engaged. Seeing the interaction between them was a telltale that they were still in the stage of being commander and subordinate, as if there was an invisible wall between the two that hinders them from stepping out of that safe boundary. For god's sake, they were still addressing each other by their military titles. Perhaps it was time she takes matter in her own hands. "Yzak, be a dear and accompany Shiho on her errand."

The Joule heir choked on his tea that he was currently sipping on. He stood up, stared at his mother in alarm and spluttered instantly. "_What?!"_ He barked out, incredulously. He glared at the brunette who looked equally shocked before diverting his attention back to his mother. "Why?!" The Hahnenfuss heiress couldn't agree more and nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Really, Mrs. Joule. I'm fine, I'm sure Commander Joule has other things to do," Shiho quickly assured, peering to the silver-head with a demanding look that orders him to agree. Yzak curled his lips into a snarl, how dare she just indirectly told him what to do?

"I'm sure Yzak has nothing else to do. Besides, I think it's best if you two start spending time with each other, after all, you are engaged to be married," the ageless woman nonchalantly stated as a matter-of-factly, feeling a crafty smirk creeping her mouth. Both young adults blanched at the reminder of their apparent engagement. Shiho then turned a shade darker, does the woman have to say it in such a crude manner? Yzak on the other hand turned red for a whole different reason, _rage_.

"But Mother—"

"And I believe I also have some errands to do myself. But since you're here, Yzak, why don't you do it for me? After all, you are on a leave of absence from work and I'm getting far too old to go about freely outside," she interjected, prudishly. She raised an enquiring brow, defiantly almost as if daring him to defy her wish. Yzak gritted his teeth and clenched both hands, trembling in fury.

_Cunning woman_, he thought sourly. Trapping him like this, damn it, this was one fucked up yet ingenious way to lure him to heed her demands. Goddamn it. She was so damn infuriating sometimes!

"Mother, you are hardly old," he countered, giving her a flat look.

The Joule matriarch scoffed elegantly. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, son. Plus, what's the harm of going with Shiho? It's convenient enough that the both of you are going to run some errands of your mothers so why not do it together?" Yzak grimaced in distaste, she made it seemed as if it was the most logical thing to do.

Yzak sighed but nonetheless relented. He could never win with a persistent woman, especially someone like his mother. "Fine," he grumbled lowly. He stole a glance to the quiet brunette who looked equally frustrated but confused, probably wondering why he had relented so quickly. "Let's go," he said, not bothering to listen to her response. He walked inside to the grand corridor that leads to the front door. He glanced behind to find both Hahnenfuss and his mother trailing shortly behind him.

"Go ahead first, I need a word with my mother," he said to the brunette. Mutely, Hahnenfuss nodded. She turned to the older woman and smiled, thanking her once again for having her over before walking out of the house. Once his subordinate was far enough for him, he turned to his mother, who was patiently waiting for him to speak.

He narrowed his eyes. "Mother, I told you to never show those pictures to anyone. Especially her."

She feigned a look of surprise. "Pictures? What pictures?" she asked too coyly.

The silver-head rolled his eyes, looking rather annoyed. "Please, spare me your acting. You're being a prude."

She gasped at the insulting word choice. "I beg your pardon? A prude?"

Yzak clicked his tongue, annoyed beyond belief. "Whatever. But please, don't you ever show any more of my humiliating childhood pictures to anyone!"

His mother waved a hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, now don't keep a lady waiting, dear, and here is the list," she hastily shoved a piece of paper to his chest before pushing him outside the door with a force harder than necessary, causing her son to falter his steps a bit. He lightly glared behind his shoulders, only to find his mother slyly smiling and bidding him farewell with a wave. "Drive safely darling!"

Yzak muttered some incoherent words under his breath, most of them cursing the opposite sex about just how frustrating they are and how impossible it was to meet them halfway. He quickened his pace to catch up with the brunette who had a good head start earlier. Shiho didn't say anything when the familiar silver-haired man came into view, instead, she kept on walking towards the grand double door gates.

The couple wordlessly sauntered their way to where Yzak had parked his car just right outside of the grand gate of the estate. Decidedly assuming that they were far from the ear-shot of the Mistress of the Joule's Residence, Shiho spoke up, "We can go our separate ways now."

The silver-head stopped. Yzak furrowed his brows, caught off guard, "What?"

Shiho stationed herself merely two feet away from him and sighed, exasperatedly. She backpedaled her thoughts and elaborated her statement. "Commander, I won't force you to come with. I'm sure you have better things to do than accompany a subordinate running some errands."

"How did you get here anyways?" he grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly.

"Public transportation," she simply chided as if stating the obvious answer.

He gave her a sardonic look, not appreciating one bit of her brazenness. "Well can you possibly carry a load of shopping bags by yourself using public transportation?"

Hahnenfuss pondered on the thought for a second and nodded in agreement, "True, but I can handle it."

Yzak imagined Hahnenfuss carrying numerous bags of groceries by herself and riding the public bus and snorted in disbelief. He dismissed the laughable notion and wryly smiled. "Indulge me with some humor, woman."

Shiho threw him an annoyed look. "Commander, if you're afraid of your mother, rest assure. I won't tell her that you didn't accompany me," she flatly provided, a hint of amusement graced her lips.

That surely riled him up. "I am _not_ afraid of my mother!" he vehemently denied, flustered. He ran a hand through his locks in clear frustration. "Look, I'm feeling rather charitable today. And I had the misfortunate of being raised as a proper gentleman, so do me a favor and get in." He motioned his counterpart to go inside his car, even going as far as opening the passenger door for her.

The brunette blinked, confused. But then slowly, a sly smile began to form on her lips, evidently showed that she realized the reason behind his action. "Commander, is it possible that you have nothing to do today?" she queried innocently.

Colors began to bloom on his cheeks, "Just shut up and get in damn car, Hahnenfuss." He paused. "And you should really stop hanging around Elsman. You slyly smiling like that reminds me of him way too much for my liking, which was just plain creepy and I don't need to be handling two Elsman when one is enough for me," he added, begrudgingly.

She complied, but not before stifling a laugh in amusement.

_She's laughing at my expense_, he thought wryly. In the back of his mind, a voice that resembles a lot like that needling blond applaud him for the somewhat progression in their relationship.

.

* * *

.

**A/N:** Don't you all just love Yzak? :D Once again, thank you all for your awesome reviews and supports! Your words encourage me to keep on writing! Love you! Look forward to their supposed 'date' next chapter, enough said :D

**GreenFire**\- Thank you! Honestly, I just made the whole scenario about the game on a whim. Oh my god, yes, I absolutely detest durians. My brother and I are the only ones who hate them. I just had to put something about durians since that day when I was writing the chapter, my mom was eating it. Ugh. Haha yes, poor Dearka, at least he has help now!

**Yennefer**\- I know right! Yzak doesn't seem like the type who'd go up to someone and have an actual conversation with them, at least in my opinion. Yes, I survived durians too. I remembered a time when I was little I nearly fainted at the smell of it. And yes I did put him in a dress ;) And for the braid, I'll leave it for your imagination :D Thank you for your wonderful review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!

**Arika518**\- Aww thank you! I try my best to update since I know that there's a lot of writers out there who just can't find the time to write in their busy life. I write because I enjoy writing, plus it's sort of like a good stress relief for me, a productive one that is. Hehe yes, I just had to put the durian reference. I won't spoil it for you, but look forward to it in the next chapter; ;)

**Char**\- Haha thank you. I'd always picture Shiho as being someone who's independent and a badass. Someone who is loyal yet is not afraid to speak her mind out. And I totally understand about Yzak. I'm actually glad that someone in Gundam had stuck with ZAFT all throughout the series without defecting but values the same opinion as Kira and the rest about humanity. I believe that Yzak is a character who developed greatly throughout the series too, especially his views about Naturals. Thank you once again for reviewing! Until next time!

**Yomako Tekinda**\- Thank you! I honestly wasn't so sure if people actually like the whole game thing since I did come up with it in like a second so there's probably some flaws. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, look forward for the next chapter! I cooked some interesting plots that are going to happen ;)


	5. Step Two Part II: Devil's Spawn Strikes

**7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss**

Step Two Part II: The Devil's Spawn Strikes

foureyesfreak27

**Summary:** Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

**A/N: **You guys are just awesome! Love the support everyone! Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

**Warning:** This chapter has not been fully edited yet. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

* * *

.

The silver-head contemplated whether or not the stereotype that all women loves shopping applies to the brunette woman in front of him. Well, perhaps not, but he had to hand it to her; the woman indeed had the perseverance of a shopper today. He glared at the woman who was leading the way but somehow cannot help but to grudgingly admire her incredible endurance for the god knows how long they've been walking about. It's not like he didn't have the stamina to keep up with her; he did, but walking aimlessly into random boutiques and shops towed with countless of bags was just not his cup of tea.

They were currently in the main shopping district in Aprilius City, a place that is akin to Shibuya of Tokyo back on Earth. Despite today being a Monday, there were many shoppers roaming around the main shopping district, and from the looks of the throng of patrons, they were mostly women; older, married, soccer moms, hauled with kids kind of women. And being practically the only opposite sex in the area has made him painstakingly uncomfortable, so much that he felt alienated for not looking so mundane like the rest of the lot. Adding more salt to his growing discomfort, many of the spectators were blandly staring at him, inspecting him like some sort of an incongruous form of being walking amongst them in broad daylight. They were probably wondering why a man clad in a military uniform was carrying so much baggage and was dutifully—begrudgingly, of course—following a particular brunette as if he was some lost puppy. He had earlier given up glaring at any spectators who were making some snide comments about him and his subordinate, especially about the possibility of him being the more submissive and passive one in the relationship (If he were to be in any formal and romantic relationship, he would wear the pants and it was a nonnegotiable matter).

He had never, mind you, accompanied any woman besides his mother shopping. Whenever he would be forced to escort his mother, he would have a permanent scowl on his face—much to his mother's amusement—and would let the whole damn world know just how much he hated every second of it.

Yzak made a face as he glanced down at the numerous shopping bags he was gripping on. He adamantly insisted that as a man, he should be the one who holds them. The brunette at first was reluctant, but then finally relented after he pulled ranks on her. Looking back down to the bags, he really didn't know whether or not he regretted his bold and chivalrous decision. He somehow felt the itching need to peek a glance at his wristwatch, wondering just how long they've been out here, despite the fact that his left hand was heavily preoccupied with a total of ten heavy bags. Maneuvering his wrist in an awkward yet progressive position, he checked his watch and blanched at what he saw.

_15:03,_ it read.

Yzak closed his eyes and it took everything inside of him to not go berserk in public. He was tired, beyond angry and annoyed (and a tad bit hungry, too) that he was force to do this. For crying out loud, they've been shopping for almost six damn hours! There was never a moment where the White Coat wanted to go back in time to prevent this occurrence from happening. But honestly, how she managed to look impeccably serene after the long hours of shopping was beyond him.

And for some peculiar reason, the woman had led them inside a hardware store.

The Joule heir stared at the brunette, wide-eyed. Was this girl normal or senile? Or should he be relieved that she wasn't like the rest of the female population in this universe.

"A hardware store?" He spoke out loud, seemingly to no one in particular.

"Some stuff on the list are acquired from here, Commander," she told him, not once blinking an eye towards his direction as she made way inside the store.

Yzak grumbled lowly and refrained himself from replying. Who knows what he'll say to the frustrating brunette. Never in his life had he been this agitated and he was positive that during the next monthly military check-up, the doctors will be stupefied by how much his blood pressure had skyrocketed in this past month. The silver-haired man had never peg his ace pilot as someone who can thwart someone this bad. Hells, he was Dearka's most sought out friend whenever the blond was frustrated with his significant other—and Yzak would always be in agony whenever his friend complains about his girl to him. The blond captain would always endlessly complain about just how much his girlfriend would shop, maxing out his credit cards every time they go out. Whenever the couple were fighting, the Elsman heir would show up on his doorstep on a random day and time begging him to sleep on the couch for the time being. Yzak counted his blessing of how lucky he was to be single—considering that his relationship with Hahnenfuss was almost nonexistence, that is. But hells, if this is a glimpse of what his future holds—endlessly being frustrated by the brunette woman—then he was in for one hell of a ride of marriage life. But then again, if this was Karma biting him hard in the ass for making fun of Dearka for being a love-sick fool, then he had thoroughly learned his lesson very well.

"Are we almost done?" Yzak asked, in a mixture of exasperation and frustration for the umpteenth time. He eyed the silent brunette who was thronging the shopping trolley with random items that were listed on the checklist as she went down the aisle.

His counterpart casted an amused glance behind her shoulder, tearing her eyes from the list she was holding. She surveyed the silver-head from the bags that he was carrying to his grimacing face and quirked a brow. "Commander, if you need help carrying the bags, you could've just said so," Shiho mused, chuckling.

Her witty remark wasn't appreciated. He silenced her with a narrow-eyed look before pressing his subject further. "Well, how much longer?" He snapped, demandingly.

The said woman before him sighed at his impatience. "Sir, we aren't even finish with the list your mother gave you. I mean, seriously," she sparred a glance to the list once more, "does she really need thirty rolls of toilet papers?" She queried in disbelief as she read the paper.

Yzak irritably grunted and scowled at his subordinate in response. It's not like he had an answer to that question.

The pretty woman continued. "She also wanted some fluoresces lightbulbs? Sandpapers? Nails? Styrofoam?" she paused, skeptically skimming the rest of the list once more before raising a brow at him. "Are you sure your mother isn't working on a project?"

The silver-haired commander scoffed. "How should I know? She was the one who handed the list to me." Quite frankly, he suspect that the list his mother gave him were all scribbled down in a random order. He ventured that his mother was not in need of running some errands—at least necessary ones—for him to do but simply just wanted him to spend quality time with his supposed fiancée. Her knaveries were sometimes unappreciated, especially at a time like this. Why does everything think that he was incapable of winning the heart of his fiancée alone? Dearka, and now his overbearing mother? Jeez, give him a break. He doesn't need anyone's help. Actually, he preferred Hahnenfuss and his platonic relationship that they had before this whole stupid thing. It was easier to managed, easier to converse with her, and overall easier to comprehend. But now since their almost nonexistence engagement came into play all of the sudden, their amiable relationship they've built for the past few years of working alongside with one another seemed meaningless.

Shiho sighed in resignation. She sometimes wondered why she would even bother questioning him with enquires she knew from the start that he had no answers to. "Of course, he could care less," she muttered to herself, bemusedly.

Thirty minutes later, the couple strolled out of the hardware store with four—rather large—additional shopping bags. Shiho gave her commanding officer a wary glance as he began to visibly struggle carrying the bags. She wondered if now was the time she should offer any assistance to him, but pursed her lips to stop herself. After all, this was the Yzak Joule she's talking about. A man who's too prideful to ask for any help from anyone, let alone a woman's. Somehow, she couldn't help but to think of him as someone who is slightly biased to the opposite sex. But seeing just how much he was struggling made her want to disregard his early warning and help the agonizing man who was in dire need of some assistances.

At last, she relented. Pride be damned. "Commander, you know I can help," she flatly deadpanned once again. She pensively offered her service once more to the silver-head in hopes that the latter would just stop being so stubborn and acquiesce for once.

As expected, her attempt was futile and was promptly ignored by the silver-haired man. "Shut up, Hahnenfuss. I explicitly told you that I am capable of doing this," he jeered through clenched teeth, scowling.

The pretty brunette inwardly sighed in defeat._ "_Men and their macho attitude," she mumbled incoherently in irritation as she shook her head. Trust her commander to be so stubborn at a time like this.

"What? Hahnenfuss, if you have something to say, speak up damn it," growled her commanding officer.

Another sigh ensued from the said brunette. Well, at least she honestly tried to offer her assistance, but the aggravating man was just too stubborn to relent. Shiho then shook her head, "Nothing, Sir. Just mumbling some other places that we need to stop by."

At the mention of 'other places', Yzak wanted to do nothing more than pull his locks out of their roots in aggravation. Just how many more stupid shops were they going to visit today? His legs were aching, his arms felt like they were about to fall off, and not to mention the throbbing headache he was getting from all of these expenses. Well firstly, if they're going to do another round of aimless walking and spending endless amount of bank notes, he needed more room. And right now, he had no more space to hold anymore stupid shopping bags.

"Hahnenfuss, don't go anywhere where I can't find you," he grumbled out of the blue.

The brunette paused her movement and blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected demand. She then furrowed her brows in confusion. "Are you going somewhere, Commander?"

Yzak rolled his eyes. "As you can see, my hands are full from all the shopping you've done and considering that we haven't gone through at least half of the list your mother and my mother gave us, I need more room," he said, wryly.

Shiho raised a brow. "Actually, Sir, we're done with my mother's list. But your mother's on the other hand…" she trailed off, conspicuously diverting her gaze anywhere but the irritable man before her before inwardly shrugging.

She didn't need to finish her sentence for the Joule heir already knew. He simply replied with a deadpanned look and therefore she wisely discontinued her sentence.

Finally, the subordinate nodded in understanding. "Alright then, I'll be sitting over there by the fountain." She pointed towards the grand water fountain a few meters away from them where people sat tranquilly on the park benches around it. Yzak didn't bother to reply but acknowledge her answer with a simple head nod. Wordlessly, the woman began to make her way towards the nearby fountain and found a vacant bench nearby to sit on.

The Joule heir stole one last glance at the brunette before striding away to the public parking area. He silently made note that this was definitely going to be the last time he was going to go shopping with any woman…well, beside his mother. Contrary to what you might think, their day wasn't that unpleasant, it was rather full of reticence and, well, uncommunicativeness. Hahnenfuss had been the perfect and quiet companion ever since he was forcibly assigned as her escort in her little errands. Yzak couldn't tell if he actually felt grateful that the woman made no incentive to make any amiably conversations or rather felt obtusely uncomfortable for the lack thereof. In hopes to ease the awkward stillness that was engulfing their atmosphere, the silver-head opted to put on the radio, hoping that some mindless songs will fill in the unease tension around them. To think that they've made some progression in their almost nonexistent relationship.

But the music on the radio amplified the awkward tension quite drastically. Especially since every goddamn channel he tuned into just had to play some godawful lovesick songs. And so, the prolong stillness continued until they've reached their destination—which was, mind you, about a long thirty minute drive. He would steal some glances every now and then to the woman beside him, noting that she was simply reclining her right elbow on the side door and resting her chin on her palm almost in a lazy manner. She had been staring out of the window the whole car ride, he assumed she was purposely ignoring his very existence, not that he had any problems with that, but seriously, he was the one driving and grudgingly dragged into his unwanted scenario so if anyone should have the right to be mad as hell it should be him.

His sharp eyes quickly zeroed his car parked between two other vehicles. He briskly made his way, grumbling under his breath about how he was going to spend the rest of his leave of absence at home and do some quality work from there. Although he was temporary banished from the military, they never said that he was forbidden to do work from home. He'll make sure that Dearka sends in his load of work over at his place later and definitely evaluate the blond captain's work today.

The alarming vibrating sound of his phone broke his train of thoughts. He slightly flinched from the sudden rattle inside his coat and grumbled in annoyance. Yzak slowly dropped the bags on the ground as he fished for his mobile device in his coat pocket, wondering who the hell would call him when he was clearly having a bad day. He glared at the caller ID. Speak of the devil.

"What?!" He roared, irritably. He was by means in no mood of idle chatting with the other party.

The other line chuckled at his hostility in amusement, irking the Joule heir even more. "_And hello to you, too, buddy_."

He let out a low growl. "What do you want?" the silver-head snapped, brusquely.

His friend replied in a nonchalant manner, unfazed by the silver-head's rather inhospitable greeting and continued the pleasant conversation as if his friend's bitterness wasn't there to begin with. "_How's your day so far, Yzak_?"

"Fantastic," he sarcastically remarked. He really should just hang up right now. It's not like he's in any mood to talk to the person who somewhat got him in this mess in the first place.

Dearka snickered mirthfully and decidedly play along with the game. "_Well, I'm glad to hear that at least one of us is having a pleasurable day_."

Yzak scoffed. "So far, my day is not even remotely gratifying," he deadpanned, sourly. "And don't you have work to do? Don't tell me that you've caused some collateral havocs in my division already?"

"_Easy, man. And no, everything is fine. Kira really is a life saver. But seriously though, Yzak, it sounds like you're not enjoying your time off_," mused the other line.

The silver-haired male scowled. Must he always poke at the most feeble and irrelevant subjects? Damn him. "Well congratulation, Captain Obvious, for perceiving my current disposition from my one said word! Would you like a medallion for your bright achievement?" Yzak sardonically queried.

His friend was thoroughly unamused. "_You know, Yzak. Sarcasm does not suit you at all_," Dearka dryly remarked, ensued by some clicking-tongue sounds.

Yzak fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Humor me, Elsman. For right now, I wanted to do nothing more than to go home and lock myself for one solitary week for the remaining duration of my non-invalidated and nonessential leave of absence until I can finally return to my duties," he gritted out.

"_Where exactly are you_?" his friend poked, nosily, picking up the nosy background on the other line.

"In the main shopping area," the White Coat grumbled, sounding a little hesitant of giving away his current situation. After all, the caller _was_ Dearka. Who knows what he'll do with the given information.

A pause. Sensing that there was a story behind why his friend was currently in the least expected place in PLANTs, Dearka inquired, "_Why are you there_?" His underlying tone sounded both incredulous and teasingly altogether.

Whether or not he was feeling silly for being in the last place he wanted to be or simply because Dearka managed to probe it out of him, Yzak felt perturbed and ridiculous by the minute. "Because I have errands to run!" he growled, desiring to shut down the conversation once and for all.

Dearka didn't seemed as if he caught the hint—probably did but decided to ignore it—and kept prodding. "_Why do you have errands to run? I thought you went to visit your mother?"_

"I did, and we are shopping for her." Yzak wanted to kick himself for spluttering away without thinking. Damn it. He silently prayed that the blond wouldn't catch his use of pronoun, if he did, he will definitely start his annoying pastime; needling. But of course, his prayer wasn't answered.

"'_We'?" _the way Dearka was sounding more blithe each and every second was not mollifying Yzak's growing irritation. A throbbing tic popped on the side of his temple in irritation.

"What's with the twenty questions, Elsman? You know what? Don't bother answering, I have to go," he hurriedly told him.

"_Hold on! Who are you with?"_

_I should've never picked up the phone_, he thought bitterly. And right now, he regretted every second of it. "It's none of your business, Dearka. Get back to work."

"_Are you by any chance with Shiho?"_ The Elsman heir hazard an educated guess, but his tone sounded too smug that the guess sounded more as if he's trying to confirm his suspicion from the other party.

Yzak gritted his teeth. Surely the blond was putting their friendship at stake for prodding him even further. He knew damn well when the silver-head had had enough of his foolishness. "I'm hanging up now."

"_Wait, hold on—"_

The line was promptly cut off. To think that if Dearka would've push his button even further, god knows what the silver-head would've said or done the next time he sees him. Everything had been spiraling downhill, who knows what'll happen next.

"Positively diabolical," he thought out loud, grimly. He proceeded to haul the bags one by one inside the trunk, squeezing some bags together in hopes to make more room for the future—god knows just how much more shopping they'll do. His wiped his forehead from the sudden exhaustion that was slowly taken toll on him and sighed. He silently prayed that he can get through the day before he mentally snapped and become a walking dead man.

He marched his way back to the town square where he specifically told his subordinate to stay in put awaiting for his return. But what greeted the ZAFT Commander when he return was something that he was not expecting. Nothing. Nada. Not a sight of a hair of his subordinate sitting on the bench where he had left her earlier. Yzak trembled in fury. She had _one_ job. One _damn_ job to stay in place so he could easily find her once he returns. But goddamn it all, that woman will definitely be the death of him. She had never been written up for insubordination, but sadly, they were merely civilians now so he cannot do such appropriate action in this scenario and was left venting out his frustration and anger to the said woman; well, unless he finds her that is.

"_Damn it,_ woman! Where the hell are you?!" he screamed out in vexation. His sharp blue eyes scanned the crowded area, trying to locate his female subordinate frantically. His mind began to turn its wheel, wondering why she had disobeyed his order. Perhaps she needed to utilize the ladies' room, yeah, maybe that's why she left. His early ire began to dwindle slightly as he waited patiently on the bench where he had last saw her.

Fifteen minutes passed, and still no sight of Hahnenfuss.

His growing irritation began to evolve into an emotion of which he seldom experience; apprehension. He got up from his seat and began to quickly walk around, searching for her. To think that she was making him put forth the effort of finding her. Seriously, he had not, cannot, and will not ever understand the perplexing opposite sex for the life of him. His peaceful and perfect life was now disoriented by that one said woman. Ever since his mother had practically threatened him with that voicemail of hers a few weeks back, his life has been one hell of a sadistic coaster ride. And not all of the days were just bad days. Some were just downright _horrible._ And having been reminded that he was engaged to his subordinate, he has been feeling rather more frustrated and hysterical, two emotions of which he was not accustomed feeling. His mind began to wander off in the dangerous zone, thinking about all the worst case scenarios that could've happened to Hahnenfuss ranging from being abducted by an enemy to getting lost. But then he backpedaled his thoughts, she was a Red Coat Elite for a reason, and self-defense was part of their training back in the Academy so he was fretting over nothing. He put aside his emotional turmoil and refocused his mind on the one thing he should be worried about;

Where in the goddamn PLANTs can Hahnenfuss be right now?

Suddenly, Yzak face-palmed his forehead, feeling very obtusely that he hadn't thought about the productive idea earlier. He pulled out his mobile device and began to dial the familiar numbers in its sequential order.

Instead of hearing a familiar feminine voice, he was greeted by the feminine automated voice recorder, "_We apologize for the inconvenience but the number that you are trying to reach cannot_—"

He immediately cut the line, no longer desiring to hear the redundant overused speech. His eyes twitched in irritation knowing that the damn infuriating woman either turned off her phone or was purposely ignoring his phone call. Damn it.

If this is how an overzealous mother feels when her child is lost, then he finally understands it now. It was not a pleasant feeling to go through. His eyes began to roam the area once more, hoping that Hahnenfuss would just magically shows up in front of him out of thin air. And as if his prayer of the day has finally been answered, an overwhelming feeling of relief bubbled inside him as he spotted the familiar brunette, who was in a crunching position on the ground, not far from where he stood. He released a sigh of relief and began to march his way towards her, gone with the emotion of anxiety and was replaced by fury.

"Hahnenfuss!" he barked out, spitefully, drawing many bystanders' attention as he stomped his way towards the brunette's silhouette. The familiar brunette looked up from the call of her name and spotted her commander marching towards her rather angrily. She slowly stood up from her crouching position. "Didn't I specifically tell you to not—"

He stopped himself from finishing his reprimanding when his eyes fell to a little figure next to the woman, clutching to the lower hem of her shirt for dear life as he flinched from Yzak's rather barbaric announcement. Blue eyes narrowed sustainably as they clashed with innocent light blue ones that stared back in fright.

"Hahnenfuss," he began slowly, his eyes accentuating his counterpart with great skepticism. "Who is _that_?" He pointed an index finger towards the disturbing figure in which the latter clutching onto Shiho even harder than before.

"Hello, Commander. _This_ is a _boy_," she told him, as a matter-of-factly and a tad bit irritated by his aloof demeanor. "His name is Luca." The brown-haired little boy, hiding behind Shiho, shield himself even more from Yzak's penetrating gaze.

Her commanding officer disregarded the last words and continued his inquisition. "I can clearly see that that…_thing_ is a boy. My real question is; _why_ are you with a _brat_?" He rephrased the question, snarling at the last word he said.

The brunette leveled an unimpressed stare at him. "Commander…"

Her call was ignored and he continued to interrogate her. "Why didn't you follow my orders? I _explicitly_ told you to stay put, woman."

"With all due respect, Sir, you told me not to go anywhere where you cannot find me," she corrected with a raised brow. The brunette patted the boy's head with affection, almost as if she was consoling him.

Yzak opened his mouth, readily to scold her for her abrasive response but then quickly shuts it closed. Damn it, she got him there. He actually recalled saying such thing before he left her. Instead of replying to her blunt comment, he opted to press on the subject of their sudden intruder. His gaze fell back to the boy who was trembling and sniffing from tears.

"Why are you with a _brat_?" he repeated once again, his tone laced with annoyance. He wasn't a man who's very fond of kids, let alone, brats that are under the age of ten. And if Hahnenfuss had some hidden children in her life that she was omitting from him, she better damn well be talking right now.

"He's injured, Sir," Shiho explained, giving a soft smile to the boy next to her. In response, the toddler gave her a toothy and meek grin despite his teary state.

Yzak eyes zeroed in on the boy's right knee and found the injury in the form of a light scrape with small splattered of blood tainted around the affected area. He frowned. Okay, he understood why the boy's injured, but that, by no means, explained why the brunette was with him in the first place.

Sensing her commander's brooding mood, Shiho quickly added, "He's lost, Commander. He got separated from his mother."

The silver-haired Commander sighed exasperatedly, running a hand through his pale locks. Of course he'd be lost. "Well what do you supposed you're going to do, Hahnenfuss? Clearly you aren't his mother," he flatly reminded her.

Shiho fought the urge to roll her eyes at his sardonic comment. "Of course I know. But I found him crying. Any good person with some common senses would enquire about the well-being of an injured person, especially if that person is a lost child." Her commander scowled at her witty reply, even topping it off with a glare at her direction. Shiho merely raised a brow in defiance. Really, the woman was a real piece of artwork.

Yzak scoffed and diverted his gaze to the boy hiding behind Shiho and asked in a rather harsh adult-like booming voice, "What does your mother look like?" Luca didn't answer, but he merely quivered in fright as if he was spooked by Yzak's rather bleak intonation.

"Commander, he's not going to open up to you," Shiho dryly pointed out.

Her commander glared at her. "Shut up, Hahnenfuss."

Luca gave Shiho a tight squeeze, tugging at the hem of her shirt to grab her attention. "It hurts," he whined, softly, pointing at his injured leg. The older woman gave him a sympathetic smile in return, petting him softly on the head once again before hunching down to his level.

"Don't worry, I'll treat it right away," she soothed him, smiling—an action that Yzak rarely saw from the woman before him. She easily picked the toddler up and placed him on top of the stone railing nearby. "Wait here." Shiho began to back up and turned, walking away until her counterpart called out.

"W-where are you going?" Yzak asked suddenly, slightly alarmed at the thought that he was possibly going to be left in charge of a random kid.

"Be at ease, Commander," she mused, looking quite amused by his sudden discomfort. "I'm merely getting a first-aid kit from the convenience store over there, I'll be back before you know it." Flabbergasted, the man could only stare at her retreating form as she began to jog away from him.

"Hey! Hahnenfuss!" Yzak called out, but it was a fruitless attempt since she was already out of the ear-shot range. He uttered a curse and stomped his foot rather childishly, unbeknownst to him startling the child sitting quietly behind him. "Goddamn it."

He, Yzak Joule, was now inevitably stuck babysitting a toddler whom he had no previous interaction with. Goodness, what has he done to deserve this cruel treatment? The older man suddenly turned and stared at the child with a blank but hard look. The child flinched, quivering fearfully.

Yzak harrumphed, grunting in affliction. He grudgingly made his way near the kid, leaving a good and safe distance away from the child as he casually leaned against the stone railing, arms crossed over his chest as a frown marred his pale face. Damn that devious woman. It's not that he hated kids, he just wasn't the type of person who was good with them, let alone have a casual conversation. Apparently, kids aren't fond of deep adult-like voices and permanent scowls, not that he blamed them. He just wasn't cut out being around kids in general. To him, they were simply the devil's spawns in disguises, acting all innocent and angelic but the moment their parents turn heads, they become vicious little creatures who're prone to cause collateral damages. Yzak had never recalled being so hyperactive when he was young. Perhaps as new generations of Coordinators are being procreated, the children's levels of excessive hyper-ness grows along with. He shuddered as he remembered the day that he was begrudgingly ordered to babysit children at a local preparatory school, the very school that his General had knowingly assigned him to do. Damn him. He had sworn to keep minimal contact with children especially those under the age of ten but his current situation had ruin all the hard work he'd been working for.

"You're scary," the boy bluntly said all of the sudden after a long period of silence.

The older man turned to look at the boy with wide-eyed, not anticipating his bravery, let alone his bluntness, from him. "What makes you say that?" he asked, curiously. Though it wasn't the first time he heard it, he had known that many of his men and women commenting about how frightening he may be—behind his back though, but never in front of him. It takes a brave soldier—or rather a brave kid in this situation—to candidly say it to him face to face.

The boy shrugged his little shoulders. "But I'm not afraid of you."

Yzak chuckled, thoroughly amused. "Well, I assumed that's…plausible and quite brave of you. But why am I 'scary'?"

"Because…I don't like you," he added as an afterthought. The young boy's docile-like complexion made it hard for the silver-haired man to snarl at him in annoyance. Good grief, no living man had the gall to say that to him. He wasn't sure whether or not he should be angry or laugh that a mere toddler half of his size—perhaps even less—was the very first person to say this to him. He opted for a childish remark.

"Well that makes two of us, brat, because I don't like you," Yzak replied, scoffing.

He didn't get a response back, and the silver-head considered that it was a good thing. But then, he sudden heard the sound of a whimper. So softly that it requires a Coordinator's enhanced hearing ability to catch it. Yzak turned and the sight behold him made him paled. The boy began to make sniffing sounds as his baby blue eyes started to fog and squinted into tight watery lines. His mouth began to tremble rapidly and was producing that godawful whining and whimpering sound, almost as if he's about to…

Yzak's eyes widened in alarmed and panicked. Oh, _no_. No, damn it, don't you dare! Don't you dare do that obnoxious thing in front of him that leaves him immobilize and speechless to the point that he doesn't know what to do! Damn it, where the hell is Hahnenfuss when you need—

The boy began to cry, wailing his little lungs out as hard as he could. Yzak sighed in utter defeat. God_damn_ _it_. _Why_? Why now of all time? The White Coat began to rub his temple to ease the aching and throbbing pain that his head was producing from hearing the loud shrieks. He should've kept his mouth close, but damn it, he couldn't help but to reply back when someone said something unpleasant about him. It was a habit anyways, usually he'll retort something witty back whenever Dearka would make snide comments. But of course, this old habits of his does not apply to a kid. Damn. It.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose in distress, hoping that some miracle will happen, but of course, nothing did. He looked over at the kid cautiously and inched closer to him.

"Hey," he began, warily. "Kid." He lightly poked on his shoulder and jerked his hand back quickly, almost like he was afraid to shatter a fragile piece of glass with his one touch.

His only response from the child was a cry that was harder than before. Yzak ran a hand down the length of his face, clearly feeling lost and frustrated. He had no clue how to stop a child from crying. He had never experienced such scenarios before and all he could do was stare at the kid as if he as a deer in the headlight, wishing that just by staring at him will cease his fit.

From his marginal view, he noticed that many bystanders began to stop, whispers erupted and they began to point fingers at him and the brat. Yzak wanted to do nothing more than bang his head against a hard brick wall, hoping that this nightmare will miraculously end soon. Goddamn it.

"He's not my kid," he explained rationally, hands up in defeat. He spied the boy crying even harder than before. The silver-head grimaced in distaste. Goodness, why was he in this stupid situation again?

"Goddamn it," he cursed, but then cursed at himself mentally for cursing out loud in front of a kid. Why was it that nothing was going his way today? First his banishment, and now _this_? Seriously, did someone cursed him with a voodoo doll or something?

As if the higher being heard his silent grace, his subordinate came into his line vision and Yzak couldn't help but to release a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, Yzak looked up and silently prayed gratefully for his silver-lining.

Yzak got up and met her halfway, "Hahnenfuss, please, make him stop," he plead in desperation, almost begging but right now he could care less about his tarnished image. He just wanted the boy to stop wailing.

Shiho scrunched her pretty brows together in confusion. Confused why her commander was practically begging him to do something and wondered why there was a crowd hovering around them. She tilted her head to the side, past her commander, and her eyes began to narrow as she made note of the scene. She leveled an accusing stare at the man before her.

"Commander, what did you do?" she enquired, accusingly.

"I didn't do anything!" Yzak protested, insistently. "One minute he was fine and the next minute he started crying. For the love of god, Hahnenfuss, make him _stop_ that atrocious sound he's making!"

The brunette sighed and proceeded to do the inevitable, but not before she sends one last narrowing glare at the older man. Yzak watched with mild interest as Shiho worked her magic, leveling down to the child's level as she softly stroke his hair and rubbed his forearm. She began to tend to his injury, hoping that by doing so it'll somewhat ease the boy. But it did no such thing for the boy merely shook his head stubbornly and began to frantically kick his little legs, startling the woman in front of him.

Yzak sighed in clear vexation. Decidedly taking matter into his own hands, he easily glided towards them in a swift motion and glared at the scene before him. He clenched his jaw.

_Oh, for crying out loud…_

"What will it take for you to stop crying, brat?" the silver-head hissed. His tone slightly rougher than what he intended to be but quite frankly he could care less, he just wanted the kid to shut his trap already. As expected, it did not cease the young boy from his loud and obnoxious wailing. Yzak gritted his teeth, if only he could manned-up the kid, he would surely knack some sense into the boy.

"You want ice cream?" Shiho offered, expectedly, as though the most logical thing to do to stop a wailing child was to bribe them with some sort of a sweet reward.

Immediately the wailing stopped, quite effectively, too. Dumbfounded, Yzak could only stared at his subordinate in awe as if she had performed some sort of miracle. Well, she did, and he was forever grateful for it.

The child innocently nodded his small head, vigorously. "Yes! Luca wants ice cream!"

Yzak smiled wryly at the boy. Who would've known that it merely took two magical words to shut the boy up?

Mischievous brat.

* * *

.

"What flavor do you want? Chocolate?" Yzak offered grudgingly as he blandly stared at the assorted cold treats. The trio were currently in a small grocery store and right away when they entered the place, the boy led them to the frozen treat aisle.

The boy shook his head but kept his eyes on the prizes before him, surprising the older man. The latter assumed chocolate since it was, after all, the most sought out flavor by kids.

"Then what do you want?" he snapped rather impatiently.

The boy pointed to his desired flavor as if it was his most prized possession. "That one!"

Yzak eyes trailed to where the youngster was pointing and his eyes widened at what he saw. He blinked, hoping that it was some sort of mistake and averted his blue eyes back to the boy seeking for confirmation. "You want…a durian flavored ice cream," he flatly stated, not believe what he was seeing and just said.

"Yep!" he nodded, affirmatively. "I want two of those please!"

Shiho, who was holding the boy's hand, looked down to the toddler next to her in confusion. "Are you sure you don't want chocolate? Or perhaps even strawberry?" Weren't those the common flavors most kids—well normal kids—would choose?

Luca looked up to the woman and pouted. "No, I want those."

Yzak released a long dragged out sigh and complied, proceeding to open the glass door of the freezer. A whiff of chill greeted him as he opened the glass and Yzak quickly grabbed two packages of the boy's desired flavored ice cream.

"Keep an eye on the brat, Hahnenfuss. I'm going to pay for these…vile flavored ice cream," he demanded, cringing in distaste as he glanced down to the packages he was holding.

Mutely, the brunette nodded in agreement and began to preoccupy the hyperactive child by interesting him with some kind of childish game. Yzak made his way to the cashier counter, slamming the cold packages on top and muttered, "How much for these?"

The older man behind the counter looked down to the items before raising an enquiring brow at him. "For you?"

Yzak grumbled and jerked his head behind him. "For the kid."

The cashier shook his head, amused. He began to scan the items and added, "These flavors aren't very popular. Four-ninety-five is your total."

"No kidding," the soldier scoffed. He reached for his wallet behind his back pocket and pulled out a five and slammed the bill on the counter. "Keep the change."

"You've got a nice family, sir," the cashier commented suddenly.

"What?" the silver-head snapped as he half-glared at the man behind the countertop. The man didn't notice Yzak's penetrating gaze for his eyes were fixed on the silver-head's subordinate and the boy fondly.

The older man jerked his head to the direction behind Yzak. "Your wife and son. What a cute boy you have there. How long have you two been married?" The latter followed his gaze and found his subordinate smiling softly to the boy as he laughed gleefully. Well, for one thing, it was a sight to behold. He had never knew that Hahnenfuss has a soft side for kids. Seeing her interact with children seemed almost…unbecoming.

"She's not my wife," he replied gruffly, as he turned back around to face the man. _At least, not yet_, he thought, grimly. He really can't picture himself settling down at the tender age of twenty-three. "And he's not my kid."

"So are you on a date with your girlfriend and nephew?" the man inquired, nosily.

"She's not my girlfriend. And that brat is not related to me," Yzak replied, flatly. No way in hell was that kid related to him. The Joule blood does not in those who would whine just to get what they want.

The cashier scrunched his brows. "So, who is she?"

"She's my fiancée," he muttered, bashfully and added, "And the kid's just…there." Not desiring to dwell any longer, Yzak grabbed the ice cream packages and left the man who looked quite baffled to join the duo.

* * *

.

"I'm hungry," Luca whined suddenly. Yzak snapped his head to gaze down at the boy, giving him a disbelief look. Good gracious, the brat had wolfed down the two ice creams as if they were nothing. They were on their way to the local police station to report the missing child, and hopefully get the brat off of his back once and for all. The Joule heir had had enough of bizarre crap as of today and being unwantedly towed with brat who was not his was not making his downfall any better.

Shiho looked down to give the toddler a soft smile. "Okay, where do you want to eat?"

"Hahnenfuss!" Yzak called out, appalled that his subordinate would easily give into the boy's request.

The Hahnenfuss heiress gave him a puzzled look, wondering what went wrong. "What? He's hungry, the logical thing to do is to feed him, right?"

"But we're not his parents," the silver-head bit out through gritted teeth. "We need to hand him over to the police so they can sort this matter out. Which, by the way, the station is only right there!" He pointed to the post a few meters away from where they stood. The brunette pursed her lips, mentally debating on whether or not they should simply hand the child over the police. She looked down at the boy and she had almost gave in to the temptation of going through his childish demands. He was but a child, so it was hard for her to refute such thing from him. But then again, Yzak was right; she wasn't his mother. Perhaps Luca's real mother might just be in the station right now, distressed as she reported her missing child.

"Shiho, I'm hungry," the brown-haired boy repeated once again, pouting as he tugged on her hand that was intertwined with his.

An irritated tic grew on the side of the silver-head's temple as he glared at the burdensome being. "Hush it, brat!"

Shiho's eyes widened. "Commander!"

"Oh my god, _what_?!" Her commanding officer demanded, impatiently. "Damn it, Hahnenfuss, do you know how late it is? We haven't even gone through half of the list my mother gave us and we are wasting valuable time right now! We fed him with some sort of food already so kindly let the local policemen do their job to find the boy's mother so we could be on our way!"

The boy shook his head, alarmed that they were going to leave him in the hands of the policemen. "No! I want to be with darling!" Luca cried out as he stomped his tiny feet, gripping tighter to Shiho. His action and words shocked both the latter and her commanding officer.

Yzak mentally snapped at that word. He turned to his brown-haired subordinate and glared defiantly. "We're going," he announced in finality. The silver-head grabbed hold of the woman's hand, startling her, and began to pull her towards their destination. Shocked, Shiho could only comply and tugged the arms of the little boy along with. The ZAFT Commander opened the door of the station, practically shoving his two companions inside. Yzak let go of the woman as his blue eyes scanned the room to locate an available cop. He saw a man preoccupied with a call on the phone behind a desk before quacking marching towards him.

As if he was finally releasing all of his stress today, Yzak slammed a palm down on the counter, startling the policeman who was on the phone, and quite exuberantly reported a missing child. Shiho watched as the poor victim of Yzak's punching bag nodded in fright and looked quite pale as Yzak began to raise his volume by the minute. Not to mention, all of the personnel in the room began to watch the scene unfold with great wonder, especially since the silver-head was wearing his ZAFT White uniform. After a few more parting words, demanding—well, it was more like an order—for the policeman find the boy's mother, Yzak strolled to his brunette companion and nodded in satisfaction.

"We're leaving," he told her, staring at her as if daring the woman to try and say 'no'.

"Commander," Shiho exasperatedly called out with reason, highly unimpressed by his apathetic attitude.

"What? He's with the police now, they'll find his mother in no time."

"Sir, we can't possibly leave him," the brunette reasoned, glancing pitifully at the wailing toddler who was clinging on her for dear life in desperation.

Yzak scowled. "Sure we can, now let's go." He said it as if it was the most logical thing to do.

She flatly stared at him. "Sir, he's only five."

He gave her a blank look, as if it was displaying the very essence of the question 'so?'

"Don't leave me darling!" the boy wailed out, grabbing hold of the lower hem of Shiho's shirt in desperation.

"She's _not_ your 'darling'!" He snapped, menacingly.

"_Luca_?!" A frantic voice called out all of the sudden.

The trio paused. The boy ceased his crying and curious peered behind him only to find a woman rushing like a mad woman towards them with teary eyes. Recognizing the older woman, Luca broke into a run, releasing his hold on the brunette, and cried out happily. "Momma!"

The young couple watched mother and son engulfed themselves in a teary reunion as the mother showered her son with kisses. Shiho smiled softly at the touching sight, earnestly satisfied that Luca was reunited with his mother. She felt a tug of yearning, perhaps she had grew fond of the boy so parting away from him was such a bittersweet sorrow. The brunette suddenly felt a tug on her arm and saw her commanding officer jerked his heads towards the direction of the exit.

"Come on, Hahnenfuss, our job's done," Yzak told her. Shiho could've sworn that the man had flashed a fainted smile before recovering to his stoic expression.

"Yes, Sir," she said, and allowed him to lead her towards the door but not before she stole a peek behind her, only to find the child waving a hand in goodbye with a toothy smile. Shiho suppressed a chuckle in amusement and couldn't help but to find a similar quality that her Commander and Luca both relate. They have the inability to say parting words face to face. The duo managed to surreptitiously sneak out of the station, not wanting to disturbed the heartfelt reunion of the boy and his mother.

* * *

.

"You know, Commander, Luca reminds me of you in some ways," Shiho commented, suddenly.

"_Excuse me_?" Yzak spluttered, choking a bit on his coffee. He sounded thoroughly insulted at what she just said. Both commander and subordinate decided to rest from their long day with a coffee break at a café. After all, they had quite an entertaining yet exhaustible day. Furthermore, they were going to make a few more stops for the last handful of items on the list before they could actually call it a day.

The brunette inwardly shrugged. "You both wrinkled your noses whenever something irritates you. The both of you tend to stomp whenever nothing goes your way. Also, you both have blue eyes._ And_ he's quite demanding, too, just like you, Sir."

Yzak blanched in distaste. "Please refrain yourself from comparing me to that nuisance," he jeered in disgust. "No way in hell am I ever going to be related to him."

Shiho chuckled in amusement. A sudden vibration from her pants pocket made her jolt a bit. She fished her mobile device and without looking to the screen she picked it up. "Hahnenfuss."

The Joule heir scoffed, his mind was still lingering at what Hahnenfuss had just said to him. He involuntarily shudder at the possible thought of it. If he were to have children, he would make sure that there was no way in hell was the kid going to be so clingy and whiny. Those traits were not possessed by him so how the hell did Hahnenfuss came to such a peculiar conclusion was a wonder to him.

"…alright, I will. See you soon," the woman across from him said, quietly. She ended the call with a press of a button on the screen and released a long dragged out sigh.

Yzak casually peered to the woman from the corners of his eyes, curiously. "Who was that?"

"My mother just called," she deadpanned, looking quite grim.

A silver brow was raised. "Oh? Did she add some last minute items to her list?" Yzak couldn't help but to ask the rhetorical question, seemingly annoyed that they were far from being done with their errand today. _As if an additional material wasn't going to make anything better_, he thought, grimly. He took another sip of his coffee as he waited expectantly for her to say something witty back in return.

Instead, Hahnenfuss shook her head, looking quite distracted. She looked almost as if she dreaded what she was going to say next. "She wants you to come over for dinner…tonight."

Hearing the unexpected reply, Yzak's eyes widened as he choked and immediately sputtered the coffee he was drinking. He couldn't help but to recall an infamous epigram he heard awhile back in school that cynically perceived the perversity of the universe and it was summed up into one good ole statement that stated as anything that _can_ go wrong, _will _go wrong.

And right this moment, things _were_ going horribly wrong. So very wrong that he wanted to scream out in vexation. _Goddamn it_.

.

* * *

**A/N:** Um, yeah, I just sort of left a cliffhanger for you all. Heh. Yzak doesn't strike me as a person who gets along with kid, most notably because of his impatient and short-tempered attitude. I could imagine Shiho amicably dealing with children better than him, since I perceived her as someone who has great patience. The shopping district in Aprilius is purely from my imagination, I seriously am not sure if there is such a place, but then again, there's bound to be a mall somewhere in PLANTs at least.

Luca was based off of my younger cousin. He's the kind of boy who likes to get what he wants by crying. A little devil. Ha, but I still love him though. And the durian flavored ice cream. Yes, they do exist, at least, from where I am from. They are as vile as the fruit themselves. Ugh.

Anyways, let me know what you all think! Look forward to the next chapter! I'm not sure when it'll be out since I've been fairly busy these past few weeks, but I will try my best to update soon!

P.S. let me know if you have some suggestions on what could happen during the dinner!

.

**Arika518**\- Yes! Ezalia is! Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you liked the reference!

**SheepyTheSheep**\- Aw, thank you! Yes, I am trying to make him not go OOC because I honestly think that a mushy Yzak is just not Yzak-like. Thank you for your wonderful review!

**Guest**\- Thank you! I just love dropping unexpected things in stories! They're like my specialty. Thanks for reviewing!

**Yennefer**\- Haha very true! I believe Dearka is a great comic relief when being paired up with the brooding commander ;) Hmm, well I can't spoil anything, but I'll let you know that Athrun may possible show up in future chapters. Thanks again for your wonderful words!

**Char**\- I too admire Ezalia. She is one badass mother who raised Yzak by herself! Thanks for reviewing!

**GreenFire**\- Kudos to you for predicting it! Oh my, that is one great suggestion. Maybe I'll pick it up for a later chapter, who knows? ;)

**Sandyx5**\- Aww thank you! Yes, that's true. One of the many reasons why I decided to write (besides the fact that I absolutely love the ShiZak pairing) is because I don't see a lot of ShiZak fictions. Yes, our favorite Commander tends to rant to himself. Hehe. Thank you for reading!

**Yomako Tekinda**\- Thank goodness I portrayed him like that. Yzak is a character that I just love to manipulate! Look forward to the next chapter!

**Pandora154085**\- I'm glad it did! I have so much fun writing this story that I sometimes forget that I have other fictions to write about :O See you in the next chapter!


	6. Step Three Part I: The Big Question

**7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss**

Step Three Part I: The Big Question

foureyesfreak27

**Summary:** Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

**A/N: **Yeah…so, um, as you can see this is a very, _very_ late update. I am truly sorry. I'll spare you the details so let's just continue on with the story shall we?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

**Warning:** This chapter has not been fully edited yet. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

* * *

.

Step #3: _Being an excellent listener is one of the best way to win a girl's heart__. Girls love guys who can sense what they feel. They love guys who are sensitive because these guys know how listen to her when she has a problem. Girls has the tendency to share what they really feel and therefore they need a shoulder to cry on and someone who is willing to hear them out._

_Remember, do __**NOT**__ be insensitive. _

.

* * *

"Commander, the door isn't going to vanish into thin air if you keep staring at it."

"You don't need to be a prude," he paused momentarily, "and shut up."

The pretty brunette merely chuckled.

Yzak had the urge to swallow some nice bourbon for that would tremendously help the anxiety that was bubbling inside of him. Perhaps some Scotch Courage would do the trick, better yet, anything that pertains alcohol would do. He wasn't a big drinker like his blond friend, but he does appreciate a good drink every now and then, it comes in handy especially when he's entertaining PLANTs politicians or was forced to attend those godawful long galas that all military personnel were required to attend. But during times like this, a strong liqueur was direly needed, to accommodate a disposition that he seldom feels.

He peered to the woman standing next to him and scowled deeply.

Both commander and subordinate stood outside the grand door of the Hahnenfuss' Estate, awaiting to enter—well, more like to ring the doorbell. Earlier, when Hahnenfuss attempted to ring the doorbell, Yzak instinctively grabbed hold of the brunette's hand to halt her ascending arm. The ace pilot had given her commander a bewildered look, but nevertheless kept her opinions to herself. He requested for a few moments to allow himself to regain his composure, of which his counterpart wholeheartedly agreed to, but not before a good chuckle at his expense.

His fingers began to involuntarily twitch on its own—of which unbeknownst to him, his brunette companion took notice and was attempting to hold back the itching grin on her face but, as always, failed.

To say that she was not feeling all jittery like him was an overstatement. In fact, she was anything but anxious. Her face was schooled with that stupid serene façade she usually wore whenever she was around him and was looking impeccable as always. From the looks of it, she was just patiently waiting for them to ring the doorbell and get this whole stupid dinner over and done with. How the hell she was so calm in this kind of situation was beyond him. She never cease to amaze him with her ever unperturbed expression. Really, her patience was like that of a rock, never faze by the harsh trials being thrown at her and it was something that mildly annoyed him yet at the same time, he envied. His fencing teacher once told him that he lacks a great deal of patience as a swordsman.

Okay fine, for lack of a better word; he was nervous. Hell of a lot nervous and he could practically feel his palms sweating from the unknown. He had every right be nervous, damn it. He was meeting his future in-laws for goodness gracious, what man wouldn't be. Well, perhaps he was being fairly overdramatic, maybe it was because this was going to be the first time he would encounter the Hahnenfuss' since forever. He couldn't recall the last time he met the Hahnenfuss' face to face, but it was definitely before his and Hahnenfuss's official engagement was publically announced. All he remembered was that Hahnenfuss's mother was a woman who worked as a chemical engineer in Quintillis City so he barely got a good look of her. He had also met her father on several occasions. Last time he heard of him, the old man had retired as an active general in the military in order to become a PLANTs politician. No surprised there.

"Relax, Commander," his subordinate reassured him, as if she had read his disturbed mind. Yzak eyes twitched as she said those words to him. It wasn't a twitch of surprise but rather a twitch of annoyance. He could practically sense the brunette ridiculing his unbecoming action right this minute. Her words somehow came across as a mockery for his disturbing disposition.

Seeing how her words were doing little or no effect on him, she decidedly teased him in hopes to shrug off his worries. "My folks aren't going to murder you and ship your dead body to an unknown location where your mother can't find it."

He gave her a deadpanned and unamused stare. He wisely ignored her unhelpful and irrelevant comment. "No matter how many times you say that exact same sentence to me I will never be assured. As a matter of fact, it is doing quite the opposite."

Shiho chuckled. "On the contrary, Commander, you are back to your usual self."

The Joule heir blinked. "My usual self?" He parroted, scrunching his brows in puzzlement.

She nodded and jerked her head towards his hands. "You're no longer trembling in nervousness."

Subconsciously, the silver-head looked down and his eyebrows shot up after finding out that Hahnenfuss indeed made a keen observation.

"If this is how you're going to act meeting my parents, how are you going to react later on when you see them on a daily bases?" She teased lightly.

"That's not the point," he said through gritted teeth. "My point is, I'm not…_accustom_ into doing things like this."

She raised an eyebrow, thoroughly doubting his confession. "Really? Have any of your past significant others introduce you to their parents?"

The silver-haired commander scoffed. "I wouldn't bet on that. I don't have times to mingle with the fair sex."

Shiho clamped her mouth shut, attempting to hold back a laugh but her eyes were still twinkling in mirth. "So you've been abstinent from sexual endeavors for twenty-three years?"

Yzak face grew bright red. He diverted his attention to ground, particularly to his black shiny shoes. "I believe you've crossed the line, Hahnenfuss. I don't believe that I am incline to disclose my private life to you."

She mockingly pouted and made a tsk-ing sound. "A pity, truly." Shiho sighed dramatically, earning a glare from her male counterpart. "Who would've known that our dear chaste commander lacks charisma to allure the opposite sex?"

His glare intensified. "You're brazen demeanor astonished me," he said in a clipped tone.

"I aim to please, Commander," she smirked, crossing her arms across her chest in a defiant manner. Too bad that Yzak wanted to do nothing more than to put her in place. But then again, they were not in the right time and place for him to pull ranks so he was stuck taking in the humiliation himself.

"And what do you gain from this…" he waved a hand gesture in the air, trying to find the right word for it, "…_mindless_ pursuit of yours?"

She shrugged once again, in a manner of nonchalance that amplified his ire. "I'm merely trying to ease your anxious mind commander, considering that we've been stalling to ring the doorbell," she glanced at her wristwatch, "for the past ten minutes."

The White Coat gave her a sardonic look. "You don't say? Well excuse me for postponing to meet my future in-laws since this abrupt meeting of ours was scheduled without a proper appointment."

Shiho sighed once again. Really, arguing with the man was simply futile. He was too stubborn for his own good. Her legs that had been standing in the same exact spot for the past few minutes were about to give in at any moment. Considering that he was being childishly anxious about idle things like these turned her amusement to something akin to annoyance. "You know, Commander, you are particularly acting like an agamic imbecile."

Her commander did a double take and blinked. "I'm acting like a _what_?"

"An agamic imbecile, sir," she repeated with no hesitation. True, he was acting quite a bit of an idiot, but just to wound his man pride, she added a little ego bruiser to the insult to spice things up. "There is no reason to fret about this. You've met my parents before, haven't you?" she chided.

She watched him stare long and hard from the corners of her eyes. It seemed as if he was penetrating his gaze in hopes that it would miraculously pierce a hole into her. "Since when do you have the liberty to be so…_obscene_ towards me, Major?"

She shrugged as if it was a natural thing to reply with, making Yzak's left eye twitched from the brazen gesture. "Since we are simply civilians right now, Commander."

Yzak scrunched his brows together, clenching his fists in both sides. Of all the people he was engaged to, why bother sticking him with someone who was his subordinate and has a non-filtered mouth? Has the Coordinator race ran out of proper and submissive woman nowadays? "Then why are you still referring to me as 'Commander'?"

She pursed her lips and raised an enquiring and defying eyebrow. "Then why are you still referring to me as 'Major'?"

His mouth gaped open, shock written on his face. "Touché, Hahnenfuss," he grumbled, irritably.

Violet eyes twinkled in delight. "What can I say? I have a crafty mind, sir."

"Hearing this side of you is repellent," he spat.

"I apologize if I sounded rude then."

"You don't sound too apologetic," the silver-haired man flatly denoted, giving her a half-lidded deadpanned look.

The corners of her lips tugged. "Indeed I'm not."

"Then why say it?"

"Because you're demanding it," she simply replied.

His eyes involuntarily twitched, they've been twitching a lot lately and the woman before him was undoubtedly the sole cause of it. "Am not."

"Am, too," she protested in a sing-song voice.

Yzak glared. "Am not."

"Am, too."

He gritted his teeth. "Am. Not."

The brunette stared long a hard at him, after a few seconds, she simply shrugged, an action that puzzled the Yzak. "Okay, you're not," she sighed in resignation. "So can we please proceed?"

He ignored her query. "You're giving in rather easily," he noted in suspicion.

"Your words against mine, sir. And I'd rather not argue about something petty right now."

He paused for a long moment, giving her a calculating look. "You're not giving up are you?"

She smugly grinned, and coincidently his eyes twitched once again. "Not by a long shot, Commander."

* * *

.

Never in his life had he felt the urge to regurgitate at the mere sight of food.

His icy blue eyes peered down at his plate—his face turning notably green—and fought the urge to gag at the sight beholding before him. There, laying on his plate was a dead fish. Not a raw one, but rather, a grilled fish seasoned with something he couldn't make out of. But what made the dish seemed repugnant and simply repulsive wasn't how the meal was cooked. No, it was how the cooker left the eyes of the fish to be feast upon. The dried up and dead eyeball was peculiarly staring at him, its pupil large and the surface of it was marked with grilled marks.

He swallowed hard.

He didn't want to seem rude. For Pete's sake, his future mother-in-law had prepared dinner for them in honor of his presence tonight. He looked up and surveyed the dining table, flicking his gaze from the patriarch of the household, to the lady, and finally to his subordinate. The former general was quietly eating his meal without any complain. He was preoccupied elegantly cutting a piece of the meat with his knife in one hand and in his other hand held a fork that was stabbed into the fish to hold it down. Hahnnfuss's mother was busy sipping on the red wine, perhaps enjoying it a little too much, and caught him staring. Startled, he diverted his gaze back to the food, but not before returning a reluctant smile back to the matriarch.

Despite the long dining table and empty chairs, Yzak was seated next to Shiho—at the insistence of Shiho's mother—as they both were adjacent to the former general who sat at the end of the table. The matriarch, whom Yzak couldn't help but to note that his betrothed inherited her looks from, sat at the other end of the table where the lady of the household should sit in.

When the couple had finally decided to make appearance inside the house, the butler who led them to the room had graciously lifted the burden of the shopping bags and directed the heiress that they were to immediately usher themselves to the dining hall where both Shiho's parents were waiting patiently for the pair. Pleasantries were exchanged, in spite of his anxiousness, the Joule heir put up quite the façade as he faced his future in-laws, especially when he was greeted by the head of the household. The man didn't seemed to be as stern as how he remembered him to be since his face looked a tad bit softer than the last time they've met. Perhaps it was because the last time he had encountered the man was when they both were still clad in their military uniforms—well, he was currently in his but the general was not, plus the former was retired—and the man had schooled an expressionless look. Now that he thought about it, Shiho had always put up a blank expression whenever she was around him in the headquarters. Maybe that's where she got her impassive looks from, other than her violet eyes of which she had inherited from him, too.

He turned his attention to the woman next to him who was silently eating her food. It seems as if both of her parent were engrossed discussing a political topic for dinner's discussion. Yzak took the opportunity to enquire his bizarre food to the woman next to him.

"Hahnenfuss," he hissed quietly. Her attention was piqued. She paused halfway from shoving a spoonful of rice inside her mouth to give her counterpart a look that demands what was wrong. Yzak pointed to his dish with the tips of his fork. "What…is _this_?" His underlying tone sounded puzzled and repulsive all at once.

Her gaze flicked to his plate before averting them to his blue eyes. "Grilled Tilapia with spicy lemon zest," she replied automatically, equally quiet as he was before. She raised her brow. "Is something amiss? I presume that you eat fish."

"I do, but the real question is why are the eyes of the fish left to be eaten?" His eyes were locked into the dead eyes of the fish in which the latter seemed to enticingly mock his existence which unsettles him greatly. He had never eaten a dish, let alone, a fish that had their eyes still attached firmly to their sockets.

She shrugged and turned her attention back to her dish, meticulously playing with her vegetables and Yzak couldn't help but to recall a certain incident a few weeks ago that included him, Hahnenfuss, and peas. "My mother tends to do that. I, myself, still don't understand why but I got used to it."

The silver-head grumbled, but nonetheless dropped the subject. He released a heavy exhale before cutting into the cooked flesh and scooped out a chuck of meat.

The moment he chewed, he wanted to do nothing more than to spit out the food.

He pursed his lips together in hopes to prevent him from doing such insulting deed. But damnation! The taste was just too repelled and downright horrible. His eyes flickered to his companions in the room and couldn't help but to wonder if it was just him who found the dish thoroughly unpleasant. But the Hahnenfuss' were simply eating their dinner without a word of complaint.

He heard a quick snort escaped from the woman beside him. "Ah, I forgot to warn you, Commander. My mother's cooking is simply atrocious so…yeah, good luck," she explained in a whisper, amusement written on her face as she got a good look at how his expression turned green.

Yzak reluctantly swallowed the foul food along with his pride. How the food tasted undercooked, overcooked, salty, sour, and bland all at once was beyond him. It was unfathomable. "You didn't forewarned me beforehand," the Joule heir hissed in ire.

"As I said before, it just so happened to slip my mind."

He turned to give her an incredulous look. "How did you survived all these years living here with this kind of cooking?"

She shrugged. "My father and I got used to it. Plus, when I was little, my father would sneak with me to the kitchen and have Cook prepare something for us."

"Well if you have a chef, why doesn't he prepare the food?"

"Well, my mother had always wanted to cook so she used us as her guinea pigs. And plus, it became worst especially since she had retired from her job two years ago and ever since then, she decided to cook dinner for us."

"Don't you live by yourself?"

She nodded, "Yes, I do."

"Then why do you still eat dinner with your family?"

She gave him a quaint look, as if she couldn't believe that he was asking such question. "Because this is my home, despite the fact that I've moved out in order to be near the headquarters."

He didn't respond, but merely stare at her. Well, for one thing, he wasn't the type who goes visiting home every day. He simply did not have the luxury to do so but somehow, he couldn't help but to envy Hahnenfuss who was able to make room to visit her parents despite her busy lifestyle.

"Her cooking now is much better than the ones from my childhood," she continued, taking a sip of her wine.

He shuddered. He couldn't imagine what the food tasted back then. If he finds the food atrocious now, imagine what it tasted like ages ago?

"Can you cook?" he queried, curiously.

Shiho gave him a grimace-like smile. "Unfortunately, I acquired her bad talent at cooking," she piped amusingly as an afterthought.

The Joule heir almost groaned out loud. Christ, was his life sealed with a woman who can barely cook? He better start collecting take-out menus from Dearka, or perhaps learn how to cook by himself to survive.

"What are you two whispering about?"

The couple simultaneously looked to find Shiho's mother, Miyako, giving them a knowing look with an enquiring brow up.

"Just discussing how delicious this dish is," Yzak answered, smoothly.

The ageless matriarch laughed delightedly as if her future son-in-law had made a good joke. "Oh Yzak, you needn't to be so modest. I know for a fact that I am a terrible cook. My husband made sure that I know that when we were dating. And that cake I gave your mother? I bought it and told Shiho to tell your mother that I made it."

Speechless, the silver-head could only mutely nod in response, earning soft snicker from his brunette counterpart next to him.

"Yzak," this time it was a deep baritone voice that called him out.

His head nearly snapped as he turned to look to the source of the voice. "Yes, sir?"

"How are you lately? I take it that you've been fairly busy recently in the military," the older man wondered, shoving a forkful of chopped asparagus inside his mouth.

He schooled a solemn look. "I am well, thank you for asking, General."

"How are things in the military? Nothing too drastic going on I presume?"

Yzak curtly shook his head. "No, sir. Everything is going in an orderly fashion. There hasn't been a space pirate reports for the past few months, thankfully none of the ones who were caught posed a potential threat to our well-being."

The retired General, Albrecht Hahnenfuss, nodded approvingly. "That's wonderful to hear." The older man stole a quick glance to his daughter who was purposely avoiding his gaze. "I hope my daughter is performing at her upmost best in your division."

"Splendid, actually. She is the ace pilot of my team, her skills rivals to that of my captain," he added. He could've sworn he saw Hahnenfuss smirked at that last compliment.

Albrecht nodded once again. "Well, that's good. She would always tell us of how fortunate she was being assigned to one of ZAFT's most exemplary commander. To her, you are the embodiment of the perfect soldier."

"Really?" he wondered, skeptically as he casted a questioning glance to Shiho who was purposely avoiding his gaze. He could've sworn he had seen a glimpse of her face being tinted in red, but dismiss the notion as an implausible thing for he assumed that he was just imagining it. That can't be right, since after all, Hahnenfuss has the knack to push his buttons without a second regard of his ranks and titles. If she indeed praise him, shouldn't she treat him with the upmost respect?

"I must ask, Yzak. Do you have any qualms with your engagement with Shiho?" With the question asked, Yzak froze, his hands ascending mid-way towards his mouth that held a spoonful of rice. Well, he never pegged the old man to be the type of person who likes to hop from one topic to another like a grasshopper without so much of a warning.

"Father," Shiho called out, giving him a displeasing look. Her father ignored her plea and continued to gaze expectantly to his daughter's fiancé.

The only Joule present cleared his throat to regain his composure. "Pardon me for being frank sir, but I must admit, at first when I heard of the engagement years ago, I was not exactly thrilled about it. We were in the middle of the war and I was still attending the Academy and marriage was the last thing a fifteen year old kid like I was would have in mind. Although I do still think that I am a bit too young to settle down, I have no objection with the engagement itself. That being said, I would be honored to be part of this family," he replied, tersely.

The Hahnenfuss patriarch quirked a brow. "Is that so? You don't have another woman in mind do you?"

Yzak shook his head. "No, I do not. I don't have the luxury to do that with the amount of responsibility that I'm obliged to uphold. Plus, this marriage is convenient since it saves me the trouble to actually find a bride myself."

The table grew quiet. Whether it was an unease or a comfortable one, he couldn't tell. But somehow, he couldn't help but to think if he had said something wrong that offended them.

"Have you both decided on a wedding date?" Miyako asked in wonderment, breaking the long quiet atmosphere in the table.

Subconsciously, Yzak's gaze flicked to Shiho's and their eyes clashed. Panicked began to overshadow their schooled features as they cannot recall any interactions, let alone, conversations regarding their upcoming nuptial.

"Well, no," this time, it was Shiho who spoken. "Considering that we both have been busy as of lately, we hadn't found a time when we can sit down and talk about it."

"I'm here if you need me, Shiho dear. I'll help you plan out the wedding from the get-go till the end," she offered. Shiho merely smiled gratefully towards her mother. "You, too, Yzak, if you ever need help, your mother and I are here to aid you in any way."

The silver-head nodded, "I appreciate it, ma'am."

"So," Albrecht drawled out in a casual manner after another moment of silence, "have you slept with my daughter, Yzak?"

The man in question looked absolutely mortified by the blunt and…crude enquiry that he choked on the fine red wine he was sipping on. He heard the sounds of utensils clanging against the tabletop around him but it did not startle him in any way. He could only look up to the patriarch's eyes in horror of which the latter merely stared back in a determined gaze that says he better hear a 'no'.

The Joule heir fought the urge to groan in displeasure. Oh god, this was going to be one _long _dinner.

* * *

.

The rest of dinner was a quiet and sober affair with small talks regarding the latest topic in PLANTs and things back on earth. There were no questions asked regarding the imminent nuptial and for that Yzak was forever grateful. He didn't know if he could go through another horrific ordeal of inquisitions regarding the former general's daughter. He could tell that Shiho wasn't exactly comfortable with the topic either, considering how much she was shifting around her chair in clear discomfort.

After dinner, the Hahnenfuss' decided to gather in the living room for a late coffee. Miyako had brought Shiho along with her to the kitchen to prepare the coffees and small snacks while Yzak was left alone with the head of the household in the spacious room. Being alone with the man whom you are about to call 'father' in a few months can be very intimidating, especially since he was a former soldier.

"Do you smoke?" the older man asked, offering him an expensive looking cigar and a lighter.

His nose wrinkled and Yzak shook his head. "No, I do not, sir."

Albrecht chuckled. "I guess it's a good thing, considering how it's bad for your health. But it is a hard habit to break." Yzak's counterpart stick the cigar that was offered to him in his mouth and lighted it up.

The former general got up from his seat walked towards the mini bar and grabbed a bottle. He procured a glass and began to poor the alcohol. He suddenly paused to turn to Yzak, raising the bottle at hand. "Scotch?"

Yzak nodded, it's better than smoking anyways.

"You know, Yzak," he began, "I would've thought that after all these years, you would've decline the marriage offer."

He did a double take and blinked. "Pardon?"

"When your mother told us that you agreed to proceed to the long-time engagement, I must admit, I was a bit surprised. For one thing, Shiho is your subordinate. She is not the most talkative partner out there."

He couldn't be more right. True, the woman wasn't much of a talker. But she has a sharp mouth that tends to get the best of her and would spurt out the cold hard and honest thing from the top of her head. Perhaps she acts different when she was around her parents. But then again, she was a person who didn't seemed to be a two-face. Maybe she was a bit more brazen around him, just like how Dearka would love to push his buttons.

Albrecht walked back towards his chair and sat down before passing the second glass to the younger man. Yzak muttered a quiet appreciation before taking a sip of the cool liquid that slightly burns his throat as he swallowed. He settled the glass on top of the coffee table before averting his attention to the man with the cigar.

"You don't seemed too keen on marrying my daughter, Yzak, why is that?" He wondered, puffing smoke out of his mouth.

He thought about how to word his answer without insulting the said man. "I simply am not fond settling at my tender age, sir. I have nothing against your daughter," he earnestly answered.

The former general pondered at his answer but gave no indication on whether he approve of his answer.

"But how about you, sir?" Yzak asked, he's been itching to ask this question for years since their impending engagement. "Why did you agree to let your only daughter be engaged to a man like me?"

For a moment there, the older man looked taken aback as his wise violet eyes grew wide. But then, to Yzak's astonishment, the former general began to laugh wholeheartedly. "My boy, I don't even know myself."

"What?" He spluttered in disbelief. Had he heard wrong?

The smile from his laughter did not wither away. "I don't know the reason. Perhaps, at the time, I assumed that merging your family and mine would've been beneficial for both militarily and political reasons. But then, I thought about it again. Perhaps I simply want an ammunition for Shiho finally speak her mind out and be selfish for once. I would've thought that she would turn down the marriage offer, but to no surprise, she obediently agreed without any hesitation."

Yzak was silent. He couldn't decide what to make out of the new information given. Should he be angry? Upset? Thrilled? Or perhaps mad that the older man sees his engagement as a ploy? But somehow it was hard to be angry, let alone upset about this whole thing.

"So that's why I would've thought that you would turn down this marriage offer," he continued, as he took a sip of his beverage. "Seeing how both you and Shiho are the ones who takes responsibilities seriously, who am I to say no and argue? It seems as if you two make quite the pair."

"I'll take that as a compliment then," the silver-head stated, skeptically.

He chuckled. "Take it as you wish. But I am eager to see some development between the two of you. I hope that it won't make your positions in your team awkward when times come."

The silver-haired man nodded. "I'll take care of it then."

"Oh, and Yzak." His laughing face began to sober and his intonation grew serious, resurfacing Yzak's unease feelings once more as he swallowed hard. He couldn't quite break the eye contact he had with the other man since his violet eyes were swirling with dim aura, enticing him to heed his order subconsciously.

"Yes?" he replied, hesitantly.

"I don't need to tell you what I'm going to do if anything happens to my daughter, do I?"

Yzak gulped. "No, sir," he answered curtly, shaking his head to further demonstrate his understanding.

As if his dark aura wasn't there to begin with, the cloudy look was immediately replaced with an accepting smile.

"Good. I'm glad that we understand each other." He grabbed his glass and took another swing at it before raising the now empty glass in the air. "Another round?"

* * *

.

"Where the hell is the bathroom here?" Yzak muttered to himself, annoyed that he wasn't capable of locating the room for the past five minutes or so.

He had excused himself from the room with the excuse of needing to use the bathroom but in fact he simply wanted to regain his composure after the intimidating ordeal he just had with his future father-in-law. Not that he was afraid, no, he was just…taken aback but the unexpected threat that was given to him.

Without him realizing, he had past the kitchenette and heard voices coming from the room. That's right, both Shiho and her mother was in there making coffee. But hearing murmurs—especially when he had accidently heard his name being brought up in their conversation—piqued his interest and abandoned all his thoughts and frustration of trying to find the bathroom. He couldn't help but to surreptitiously hid behind a pillar near the kitchen's entrance in hopes to get a clear hearing of the conversation. The murmurs began to be comprehendible and audible as he made of the talking.

"Shiho, why does it seem as if you're not ecstatic about this?" he heard the voice asked and rightly assumed that it was Miyako.

"Should I be, Mother?"

A pause ensued. "Are you sure you have no qualms against this arrangement with him?"

He heard a sigh. "It's not my place to oppose it, you know that."

"Shiho," her mother called out, exasperatedly.

She seemed to ignore her mother. "What I can do right now is upholding the family's name. This is, after all, a political marriage."

"Dear, don't be too hard on yourself. You've always been an obedient and selfless child, at times like these, I wish that you would be selfish for once."

"I'm merely taking responsibility as the sole heiress of the Hahnenfuss family, Mother," she reasoned as if it was the most logical thing to do.

"Sweetheart, your engagement was announced years ago. Although it is an arrangement marriage, you are always welcome to oppose it. Your father and I will not hold it against you."

"It is fine, Mother."

"But Shiho, weren't you fond of—"

"It's all in the past now. There's no reason for me to continue my one-sided infatuation. Plus, he never noticed so it's pointless for me to even pursue it. I've gotten over it, so please, let's not talk about it anymore," she interjected tersely, hoping to end the conversation.

"Shiho, your father and I already told you. You can always end this engagement if it's too hard for you," her mother repeated.

He could sense the brunette shaking her head. After all, she was stubborn. "No. I'll be fine. I'm sure the Commander will treat me well. I just sometimes wonder if everything would've been easier if I was born as a boy."

"Don't say that," Miyako scolded, "You know your father and I are proud of your accomplishments."

Shiho heavily exhaled. "We've been here for a long time, Mother. I'm sure Father and Commander Joule has been waiting for us for a while now."

Before he could register their movement and escape, Shiho spotted him behind the pillar and halted, making her mother who was right behind her jumped from her abrupt stop. The latter peered across her daughter's shoulder and her eyes widened.

"Yzak!" the matriarch exclaimed, startled. "What were you doing here?"

"I apologize if I startled you, but I was just on my way back from a bathroom break," he lied, smoothly. Technically, he was going to the bathroom to freshen up, but he lost all motives now. His gaze flickered to the younger brunette who was simply staring at him with an indecipherable look that he cannot make out of.

She nodded as if she found his answer plausible. "Well then, shall we?" Miyako suggested, gesturing the silver-head to follow. He nodded and trailed not far behind the mother and daughter.

A rush of emotions engulfed his body as the conversation he just so happened to hear was still ringing in his head. For one thing, one notion stuck up like a sore thumb, and was a person whom his subordinate just so happened to be infatuated with. Hahnenfuss _admired_ someone? Somehow, the thought of it unsettled him and he hasn't gotten a clue to why it does. He gazed back to the woman in front of him who he was inevitably betrothed to and began to pair her up with the men he knew in his life but couldn't quite picture her with them. He couldn't recall a time when his subordinate engaged herself with the opposite sex, let alone showed some interest in them. Perhaps it was a man he never had the pleasure of meeting before?

But then, why would she agree to their engagement if she fancies some other man? All of this somehow doesn't add up and surprisingly it was frustrating him to no end. And with that, it leads to one thing;

Who exactly was this guy whom she was unconditionally infatuated with?

* * *

.

**A/N:** Yzak is one hopeless fellow ain't he? Sigh, I just love doing this to him. And I know, I know, the step wasn't on par to what I wrote, but trust me, it'll make sense in the next chapter.

And for the records, this story is solely going to be in Yzak's point of view. I've been debating on writing it in Shiho's but decided against it. Perhaps, I'll probably write one in her point of view in another story (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

Random thought: Do any of you watch 'Big Bang Theory'? If you do, I can't help but find an uncanny resemblance between Yzak and Sheldon. I don't know, maybe it's just me or perhaps how I portray Yzak in this story.

Until next time!

#PrayforNepal


	7. Step Three Part II: Of Bad Timing

**7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss**

Step Three Part II: Of Bad Timing and Weather

foureyesfreak27

**Summary:** Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

**A/N: **To make up for my inexcusable long absence, I wrote an extra-long chapter with a lot of Yzak and Shiho interactions. Enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

**Warning:** This chapter has not been fully edited yet. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

* * *

.

It has been five days since Yzak had last saw Shiho. Five days relaxing since he had dinner with the Hahnenfuss'. You could say that it was rather rewarding to not see anyone at all.

The rest of that memorable night was a quiet affair, a few measles topics were thrown into the discussion here and there to prolong the mingling amongst them. Although Yzak was physically in the same room with the family, his mind was elsewhere, particularly dwelling on the topic he had accidently came stumbling upon on. Discreetly, he kept his eyes fixed on the brunette throughout the rest of the night, pitching into the topic when questions were addressed to him. His mind had been lingering on a matter regarding his brunette subordinate—no, pardon his incorrect word usage, his _fiancée's_—infatuation. Whenever Shiho had caught him staring at her longer than he had anticipated, she would meet his stare—startling him—before quirking an enquiring eyebrow that explicitly yelled out 'what the hell is the matter with you'. He had quickly diverted his gaze soon after, but not before a tint of red flushed his face with embarrassment. Not long after, when he was certain that her gaze was held elsewhere, he would resume his staring. He himself did not know what possessed him to do such bewildering action, but it was as if his own eyes had a mind of its own.

A quarter before eight, he decided to excuse himself and call it a night. As a gentleman and, well, a fiancé, he politely offered to give Shiho a ride home in which the girl diplomatically decline stating that she was going to sleepover at her parents' house during the duration of her break. Yzak didn't bother to press further and without further ado, he bid his farewell and sped his way home. He decided going against dropping by his mother's place for a quick visit to hand her the items for he was far too drained to do such tedious matter. So once he got home, his mode was turned on to autopilot and began to perform his daily night routine without any problem.

His mother had called on numerous occasions, enquiring him on when he'd be stopping by for another visit soon. For one thing, he wasn't in any mood of being interrogated by his dear and beloved mother, let alone talk about his supposed engagement. He had dropped the items that his mother had needed the very next day after the dinner and silently praised the lord that his mother wasn't home that time he visited (according to the butler, she was having a social call with her friends over at one of their homes). Truly, he loved his mother but sometimes she could be overbearing and he would find some sort of excuse to seldom visit her.

Truth be told, he was silently grateful for not being able to see a hair of Hahnenfuss since then. He wasn't sure whether or not he was capable of keeping his mouth shut to stop himself from interrogating her regarding the rather surprising and jaw dropping information he had—well, not eavesdropped—but rather accidently overheard that day. It wasn't the fact that he was bothered by it—far from it—but rather it had piqued his interest far more than he had anticipated to know just what kind of person his ace pilot had admired from afar. So, was it someone he knew? Perhaps, by any chance, was it that damn Dearka?

He grimaced sourly at the sordid possible thought of it.

No. That can't be right. That blasted buffoon treated Hahnenfuss as if she was just like any other guy on his team. Well, let's remedy that a bit; it wasn't just Dearka who treated her just like any other man, but every single one of his male members in his squadron sometimes forget that Hahnenfuss was a woman herself. Not that he could blame them for doing such deed. Hahnenfuss was one of the few women, or perhaps, the only woman in his division that does not tremble in fear in his presence. Plus, in her early stage of her career as a solider, she adamantly refused to wear the standard female ZAFT uniforms that were applicable to the female personnel. It had perplexed many of the squadron leaders but she made a valid point by stating that there was no rule against women wearing the male uniforms so the officer who she was assigned back then ruled in her favor. She doesn't mind getting dirty, especially when it comes to repairing her ZAKU. The technicians in the hangar never bothered to stop her from pitching in every now and then repairing some mechanic parts for the weekly maintenance for the machines.

So if it's not Dearka, then who the _hell_ was it?

His mind began to ransack the memories of every male counterpart Hahnenfuss had the pleasure of working with and cannot come up with one decent image. The only one that he could think of at this moment was his one and only archrival. So, by any chance, was it—_cringed_—Zala?

Subconsciously, he scowled at the possibility of those two being together, seemingly looking unfit for one another, and shook his head to further demonstrate just how absurd that idea was. No, it wasn't possible. Shiho had never had the pleasure of working alongside with him since she was assigned to his division during the first war when Zala was recruited to the special unit. And it wasn't as if they were acquaintances beforehand. Damnation, what was he doing just now? Was he really trying to figure out who Hahnenfuss happens to admire? Why would he even care anyways, this was a marriage of convenience, or better yet, a political marriage. There can only be mutual benefits for both parties, regardless of whether or not it will be a loveless union.

What he really should be doing was taking advantage of his last day off and enjoy the book he was reading. Truly, perhaps solitary confinement was what he needed. In a way, this nonessential break had served a somewhat meaningful purpose. For the past few days, he had been enjoying his time leisurely, taking a long stroll in the eco-friendly park nearby his condo, attending some fencing classes, hailing the gym every morning, and other pleasurable indulgences he could possibly think of that he could do if it weren't for the fact that he had a seven-to-nine o'clock hour job in the military.

He also had the luxury of reading some of his favorite novels with a side of glass of exquisite red wine, something that he hadn't been able to enjoy since his promotion. It has been awhile since he had time for himself in his humble bachelor pad and ever since he move here he hadn't taken the time to enjoy his abode. The only time he actually used this place was to sleep and to eat. The alcove was impeccable and tidy, not a speck of dust at sight, same goes for his master bedroom. His kitchen looked just like the day he had bought this place, clean and stainless for he barely had the time to make edible meals daily. He wasn't much of a cook himself, but he knew enough knowledge in order to survive living alone. He vehemently refused to order from the take-out menus for the nourishment were saturated with unhealthy fats—courtesy of Dearka who had practically stowed piles of take-out menus in his living room as a house warming gift.

Speak of the devil, Dearka had called a few times, updating him regarding his squadron and much to his relief, nothing hectic was going on, thanks to Yamato who took the reign. But still, he couldn't help but to feel a tad bit envious that someone other than himself was capable of running his team like a tight ship. Well, as long as he wasn't getting any phone calls saying that his division had crumbled and that Dearka had caused hell, it was all good.

The rumbling sound of his stomach interrupted his thought, indicating just how famish he must've been.

He tear his gaze from the novel to the wall clock and a look of surprise marred his face. It was ten past six, about time for him to eat dinner. Well, he did eat a light breakfast consisting of just a toast covered with marmalade and a meager turkey club for lunch. Time really does fly by when you're preoccupied. Perhaps, a simple pasta dish will suffice for tonight.

He stood up from his lounging chair, set aside his book and trotted towards the fridge in his kitchen. The jarring sight that greeted him once he opened his fridge made his mouth agape. As someone who pride himself in eating healthy and organic meals every day, his refrigerator would always be stocked with a variety of products that includes grass-fed organic meat to non-genetic modified vegetables. The products were organized according to its labels, colors, and dietary so it would be easier for him to locate something he needed. Yet, here he was, standing before a well-emptied refrigerator. Just how oblivious had he been these past few days? How could he missed the fact that his fridge was well off empty? Damn, now that he thought about it, when was the last time he actually step foot into a grocery store to buy his essential needs? Well, it wasn't as if he had any plans today besides stalling until the day he gets back to work which is the day after tomorrow.

After releasing a sigh, he reluctantly made his way towards the foyer, grabbed his trench coat—he couldn't really remember what the news said this morning regarding the weather today—that was hanging from the coat hanger along with his keys and wallet, and slipped on his shoes before making his way out of the door.

* * *

.

"Milk, milk, milk," he murmured to himself as he surveyed the assortment of dairy products that were presented before him. He gazed back to his cart full of food and nodded in satisfaction that he was nearing the end of his shopping visit. He never stayed long nor dwell around killing time after finding the necessary products he needed at home. Once he finds it, he buys it and leave, easy as that. He never found a good reason to just strolling aimlessly around the store for it took up precious time that he could be spending on productively. Lost in his train of thought, he didn't realized that he had been absentmindedly pushing his cart forward without having any regards to his surrounding and was a moment too late to prevent the accident that was forthcoming.

_Crash!_

_What in the the—?_ Jolting from the sudden clash, he jerked backwards and yelped from the unexpected pain that shot to his right foot.

"I sincerely apologize, sir, I wasn't looking," the voice reasoned, earnestly. Somehow, the voice sounded familiar to him but he couldn't quite peg it down from his memory lane and quickly decided that it wasn't worth pondering upon on. Yzak, having to instinctively roll his trolley backwards and causing a collision between himself—specifically his right foot that sustained the injury—and the trolley—its wheels—grunted in mild pain. He recuperated rather quickly, seemingly unaware that his newly counterpart was piercing their gaze at him.

"It's no problem," he muttered, absentmindedly, not desiring to cause a conflict in a public area. He released a sigh before straightening his back and began to push his cart forward, avoiding another possible collision with the other cart—but the voice began to spoke up once more causing him to halt his action.

"Commander?" the same voice that had apologized called out, uncertainty laced in its tone but loud enough to assert its guess.

Hearing the familiar title along with the all too familiar voice, he stilled and almost immediately looked up, never mind that he almost snapped his head while doing so.

Blue eyes widened in utter astonishment as they clashed with equally astonished violet ones. "Hahnenfuss?" His tone laced with disbelief as he surveyed the woman before him from top to bottom in hopes to decide whether he was delusional or not. "What are you doing here?" Just his fine luck to run into the woman he had least expected, and, well, purposely tried to avoid during his remaining duration of leave of absence from work.

The absurd and redundant inquiry almost made the pretty brunette want to snort. Really, couldn't he tell? She was in a grocery store for crying out loud, what other purpose would she be here if it weren't for buying some groceries? But knowing that that question will irk her commander, she opted for a more subtle yet witty query. "Same reason as you, sir, buying groceries," she rebuked, sardonically, thought kept the sarcastic expression quite subtle for him to notice it.

Realizing that he had asked a rather dumb question, he grunted in annoyance, both at himself and at Hahnenfuss for her smart reply. His gaze flicked from the woman to her shopping trolley (specifically to the frozen boxes of food) and back to the brunette, shooting her a judgmental look before raising an enquiring brow. "Frozen food?" He would never peg her to be the type of person who buys frozen food that was ready to eat in less than five minutes. But then again, she did say that she was a bad cook and was forced to resort to some unhealthy endeavors.

"I thought I told you I don't know how to cook," she dryly reminded him as if she had read his mind. It wasn't every day that she would consume such non-nutritious food, but it wasn't like as if she had a choice. She may be a Coordinator but she can't be good in everything.

Smirking at the reminder of the hilarity of his subordinate's flaw, he replied, "I don't know whether or not I should be laughing because you lack such essential talent especially since you're living alone."

She pursed her lips together, even biting it on the inside of her mouth to prevent a snappy comeback from coming out because she was simply not in the mood to have a little spat with the least expected person in a public area. So instead, she geared the conversation to a different and more neutral direction. "What were you doing? Deciding on what kind of milk to buy?"

The smug smile was still playing on his lips as his blue eyes twinkled in satisfaction. Looks like she cannot cope being in the receiving end of her own game. But perhaps it was best to put her out of her own misery. "No, I was looking for my favorite kind of milk."

She gave him a peculiar look. "Why? Don't all milk taste the same?"

His gloating expression wavered and was replaced with a scowl. "No, they don't. They have a variety of milk ranging from fresh, whole, two percent, to skim. I prefer my milk to be two percent." Locating the desire milk and brand, he grabbed jug from the freezer and raised it to Shiho. "Do you want a gallon?"

She shook her head, slightly wrinkling her nose in distaste, "No, thank you." Instead, she eyed the yogurt section and began to put a few flavored cups into her trolley. The silver-head watched her action in mild interest and found it interesting that she preferred the fruit yogurts to the plain ones.

"Don't tell me you're lactose intolerant?" he snickered, jokingly to needle on the fact that she refused a cart of milk that he had offered earlier.

She paused, before—unexpectedly—nodding her head. "Actually, I am," she conceded, thoughtfully.

His slightly lackadaisical attitude began to dwindle and grew to a more sober look, giving her a peculiar and bewildered gaze as if he wished he had heard wrong. The absurdity was simply just too surreal for him to comprehend. Astonished, he stated soberly, "You're kidding, right."

"Yes," she derided, a tug on her lips was forming into a conceded looking smirk—a prettily smirk, causing him to backtrack and shoot a dark glower at her after realizing her white deception.

His lips curled to form a snarl as his blue orbs glared her, but as always it did not faze her one bit. It was thoroughly annoying how she would stand guard and not be wavered by him. "Are you doing some sort of reverse psychology on me right now? If you are, I must say that I am thoroughly unamused," he admonished. As a matter of fact, lately, she has been rather witty and obscene towards her commanding officer and it left him rather displaced and dumbfounded by her brazen demeanor.

She chuckled, softly, clearly finding this very amusing—at least to her that is. "Yes and no," the brunette quipped, seemingly amused at the situation at hand unlike her counterpart who was scowling.

Yzak was growing frustrated by the very minute, and her smiling at his expense wasn't doing any good to mollify the situation either. "'Yes' as in you were joking or 'no' as in you aren't lactose intolerant?" he sneered. Way to be ambiguous about it.

She merely blinked before flashing him a secretive grin that he hated so much, and of course, that made him want to throttle the woman from here all the way to December City.

He had no use to be playing her stupid idle mind games that beats around the bush. "Are you really lactose intolerant?" his tone was filled with hazardous warning to dare her to try and tell him another falsehood.

She picked up the bad vibe from him. "No, I'm not." She relented at last, though slightly laughing at his flustered state. "If I was, I wouldn't be in this aisle nor getting yogurt." She then did another unexpected action that befuddled him. The brunette reached for a cart of milk from the freezer but it was unlike the kind that Yzak had picked up earlier.

A perplexed expression washed over his face. "I thought you said that you didn't want a gallon."

She raised a slender brown brow at him. "I do, but not the two percent that you drink. I prefer skim or whole milk to the two percent."

He made a distasteful face. "Two percent is better," he argued, harrumphing.

She inwardly shrugged, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions."

Yzak scowled. "Stop patronizing me," he growled in ire. Without another glance, he began to push his shopping cart away from the dairy aisle—specifically away from Hahnenfuss. He had just about enough of her little mind game and was not in the mood to be an audience of her pretentious attitude. It was enough that he had to survive and dinner with her family and the fact that they both will be resuming work very soon. He prayed that his last day of absence will be in his favor for he just want one last time of solitary confinement without anyone bothering him.

He made his way to the condiments and spices aisle to look for a jar of olives, something he utilized when making cocktails and for snacking on. He grabbed one jar off of the shelf and was about to add it into this ever thronging trolley until familiar voice startled him, making his whole body flinch in surprise. Had it wasn't for his enhanced ability as a Coordinator, the jar would've shattered into a million pieces on the floor spilling its content.

"Sir, you know that you're currently holding a jar of pickles, not olives," she quipped.

Holding the jar closely to his chest as if it was a precious little item, he turned to his right, and glared at the bothersome woman. "You really have a bad habit of startling people out of nowhere. Did you follow me?"

She ignored the comment and instead pointed at the jars two sections down from where they stationed. "The olives are over there."

He kept his expression stoic but couldn't help but to look surprise for a second before squinting his eyes suspiciously. "How did you know I was trying to get the olives?"

"You hate pickles, sir," she deadpanned giving him a pointed look.

He allowed himself to process what she just said before grimacing. "You seemed to know a lot about me," the Joule heir wryly stated.

She released a suit of chuckle, causing him to deepen his frown that marred his pale face. "I probably know more contrary to what you might think," she conceded, idly scanning the products that were in his trolley before meeting his gaze.

He quirked a challenging brow. "Oh, really? Prove it." Feeling surely confident of himself, he stood tall, placing the jar back on the correct place before crossing him arms across his chest to seem more intimidating, spark of fire illuminated his blue eyes as they bore themselves into defiant violet orbs. The pickles thing was just pure luck since she probably got the information from Dearka. Who else knows more about him than his idiot of a best friend?

She averted her eyes, breaking the contact with him, to the Greek yogurt that was in his cart and the corners of her lips tugged into a grin as if she had found a reliable source to rebuttal his challenge. "Like yogurt for instance, on occasion, you utilize yogurt as deep conditioner, I believe you use this to make your hair shinier."

His grin faded and his expression was replaced by a haunted look. "What?" was all that he could come up with, as if the circuit in his brain sudden malfunction by the highly unexpected knowledge from her.

She ignored his interjection and continued on with her observation. She spared his trolley cart another second of glance, bobbing her pretty little head towards the product, "Correct me if I'm mistaken, but you use plain Greek yogurt to do this…interesting hygiene routine of yours."

He blinked, perplexed. Miraculously, he still had the ability to open his mouth just an inch and was able to procure a simple croak, "How…?"

"On some occasion you use mayonnaise," she continued as if he hadn't utter anything to begin with, flickering her eyes once more to the bottle of dressing in the other trolley before returning her gaze to the products before her as if they were far more interesting than his presence adjacent to herself.

He knew that he should be feeling rather silly staring blankly at the woman before him with his mouth hanging open, flabbergasted by her observation but this woman had rendered him completely speechless, unable to procure an audible word save from occasion squeaks.

"And judging by how clean and well-trimmed your nails are, you went to the salon to get it done sometimes this week. Perhaps you even gotten yourself a massage since your body isn't so tense like the last time I saw you," she stated as if she was talking about the daily weather in Aprilius City. Yzak, utterly speechless at this…_knowledge_ about him, could only stare at her as if she had just sprouted a second head and was well aware that he sort of looked like a fool in doing so.

"You have food fetish and are a health nut, you cannot stand it when Captain Elsman or anyone eats foods that are high in cholesterol and carbs," she told him and unexpectedly ventured into a whole new different direction. "Whenever you're holding your anger, you left eye twitches, your jaw clenches, and your fists trembles, although you do a remarkable job keeping your voice cool and collected."

His jaw slacked. Great; what else does this hellcat know?

"Whenever you're feeling uncomfortable, you tend to clear your throat…a lot." As if it was a cue, he inwardly began to clear his throat for he was thoroughly uncomfortable for his intricate plan on making her be on the receiving end somehow backfired.

"Okay, I get it." _You little vixen_, he bitterly added as an afterthought. How the hell does she know about all of this? Even Dearka didn't know about frequenting the salon. But what irked him the most was that she was stating his utter most top secret routines as if it was a five-minute old report unworthy of even talking about. The woman merely stood there, unperturbed, and was idly scanning the food products on the shelves and didn't even bother to spare him a minuscule glance at him. Damn woman.

"I'm just very observant, sir," she grinned cheekily, as if reading his mind, finally flashing that stupid look on her face that clearly yelled out a sign of triumph at him. He opened his mouth to retort back but nothing came out, much to his utter humiliation and anger. Yzak snapped it close, glared at her and turned the other way to proceed his exit from the conversation. Fuming, whether it was because he was thoroughly embarrassed or flustered, he forcibly pushed his cart and walked away—but not before grabbing the jar of olives—from the laughing brunette.

Can this stupid day get any worse?

* * *

.

"Why do you always use public transportation even when you are well over-capacitated with bags? How in the world are you going to carry so much by yourself?" he queried in wonderment.

The vixen discreetly had followed him around the grocery store as he picked up the last few remaining items on his list. He was annoyed, for sure, but not matter how much he glared, shouted, sneered, and ignored her, she would always come back like a freaking boomerang, and it was not discreetly, too. So here he was, walking towards the parking lot after paying for his share of groceries. Earlier when they were at the cash register, Yzak had offered to pay for Hahnenfuss's price tag, but one glare and a stubborn chin raising up in the air, daring him to so much hand over his card to the teenager behind the counter made him cringed and shrunk back his hand to his pocket that was ready to pull out his wallet once again. The woman cannot appreciate a chivalrous action that he was willing to do. Fine, be that way, see if he cared. As if he had wanted to do it in the first place anyways, he was just be courteous about it yet she had the audacity to decline his offer to help.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Sir, but you sound awfully worried about me lately," she chided, a light smirk playing on her lips.

Yzak shot her an unimpressed look. "Don't push your luck, Hahnenfuss. As your commander, I'm incline to ensure your well-being. I don't want my only competent and ace pilot injured because of a meager incident. I will look like the laughingstock of the military because I wasn't capable of preventing any harm's way from one of my best men." His logic of thinking was that it was because he was her commander and he was inclined to fret about her welfare that was all there to it, nothing more.

"You truly know how to flatter a woman," she dryly deadpanned. She began to walk ahead of him in prideful strides. Yzak, dumbfounded by her bold action, scowled and quickened his pace to catch up. "Well, to answer your question, Commander, we underlings don't get a big fat salary like the top rankings do in the military," she replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Don't be coy with me, woman. I'm well aware about how much your salary is every month and trust me, it's enough for you to buy two cars for yourself."

She rolled her slender shoulders once more. "Perhaps, I'm trying to be an eco-friendly citizen, sir. You are not in the position to dictate how I utilize transportation. Plus," she paused, giving him a cheeky, "it saves me money."

He said no more and simply walked quietly beside her, seeing how the conversation wasn't going anywhere anyways. Once they've managed to reach his vehicle, Yzak gestured the brunette towards his convertible, and action that stupefied the brunette. "Get in, I'm driving you home," the Joule heir told her.

She scrunched her brows together, forming a deep 'V' shape line down between them. "Why? I'm perfectly capable of getting myself safely home, thank you very much."

He shot her an impatient look. "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you to get in. It's an order."

"We're not in our uniforms, Sir," she pointed out, flatly with half-lidded eyes.

A muscle in Yzak's jaw twitched. It seems, just for a moment, he was about to argue back at the woman, but found it time consuming and very unnecessary to reason with someone like her. He'd prefer ordering to reasoning with Hahnenfuss since she was one of the only few—aside from the damn blond—who had the gall to stand up to him. "Shut up and get in the car, woman," he growled instead. Without a second of hesitation, he grabbed her bags of groceries—correction, _snatched_ them from her hands—and stuffed them inside his trunk.

"You've been rather chivalrous to me, too, Commander," she spat, indignantly through gritted teeth. The tone she used on him sounded way too sardonic for his liking. Even her own words were an antithesis to what her current disposition was; annoyed.

He grunted, begrudgingly and speared her an equally cold look that rivals to those of her own. "As I said before, I had the misfortunate of being brought up as a gentleman and it's not my fault that you're always the damsel in distress. So, do me a favor why don't you and work with me here."

Shiho stared daggers at him, thoroughly unamused that her commander—who was obviously off duty—had commanded her to yet again to enter his vehicle. After a few seconds of hesitation and contemplation, the subordinate released an involuntarily sigh as a surrender and did as she was told. To compliment just how annoyed she was from his overbearing, male-alpha, pretentious personality, she slammed her side of the door with unnecessary force, causing Yzak's left eye to twitch.

Damn woman.

Like their last car ride, they were engulfed in silence. Although not like the uncomfortable one, but rather a silence that was filled with ever-growing tension of animosity between the counterparts. How hard was it to just at least acquiesce with him for once? With a little bit of amicability? Was that so much to ask? Speaking of rides, he stole a glance to the woman beside him who was idly staring out of the window. Now that he thought about it, just how in the world does Hahnenfuss managed to arrive to work without an accessible vehicle at hand?

"How do you even get to work so early?" he asked, piercing a dull dent into their strain atmosphere. Now that he mentioned it, he would always find Hahnenfuss already attending her duties even before he arrives to work. He kept his gaze out on the road, but spared a glance to the brunette from his marginal point of view.

For the longest moment, Yzak assumed that the brunette wasn't going to bother answering his question, not that he could blame her. She was practically forced to comply with his demands anyways. But then finally, she answered him, thoughtfully. "I use the subway, sometimes the bus if the train is jammed pack. Occasionally if I was running late, I would get a ride from the captain and he would buy me breakfast if I don't have time to eat. On some days, I would ride the taxi or hitch a ride with a friend—"

The car came to an abrupt and screeching stop. Shiho, unprepared for the sudden jolt and deceleration, was thrown forward but was hindered by the safety belt to go any farther and it was pure luck that she was stopped an inch before her face hit the dashboard.

She whipped her head to the frozen counterpart next to her in the driver's seat and shot him a bewildered, frantic, and annoyed look. "What are you doing, Commander?! Must I remind you that we are currently in the middle of the road if you have forgotten! Look at the traffic that you've just caused!" She frantically glanced back behind the road and much to her relief, there wasn't a single car behind them. Unfortunately for her, her relief was short-lived for the commander next to her somehow looked peculiarly livid. His hands clenched tightly onto the steering wheel as his once blank expression metamorphosed into a grim one.

Yzak deliberately ignored her outburst for it was all a deaf ear to him. Instead, he slowly drove next to the curb line, not once acknowledging the incredulous look his subordinate was giving him, and killed the engine. Not long after, Yzak slowly turned his head and blue dark eyes met clashed with unguarded violet ones. "What…did you say?" he asked in a slow and antagonizing way that made her slightly jolt in her seat. But her action was too subtle for him to even notice it since the silver-haired man was waiting patiently for her response by staring straight into her violet eyes.

Shiho didn't know why he was being like this. One minute they were amicably conversing (well they were starting one but that was beside the point) then the next thing she knew, he was glowering in the broad daylight at her like there was no tomorrow. The pretty brunette analyzed the man, unsure what led him to ask her such peculiar question but nonetheless replied earnestly. "Friend?" she replied in a questionnaire like tone, recalling the latest noun she had used.

"Before that!" he spat, inching closer, and instinctively causing Shiho to inch back from her seat in response. It wasn't every day that the great Yzak Joule would voluntarily inch closer to the opposite sex. Though his screaming did not in any way perturbed her, the words themselves left her thinking. Deciding that they had enough partition between them, she tried again.

"Taxi?" she suggested, unsurely as she blinked quizzically at the man she referred to as commander.

Yzak made beastly growling sound from his throat, surprising the brunette from the sound of it and just how animalistic it was._ "Before _that!" he repeated (yelling), irritated.

If it was possible, her expression was even more confused than before. "Subway?"

He released a frustrated sigh and ran a pale hand through his silver locks in vexation. "No, _after_ that!"

She studied him with a guarded expression and for the longest second, she couldn't understand why he was being all aggravated and worked up for. But as if the epiphany was sent from above relieving her puzzlement, she began to understand where the conversation was heading. Finally catching on, she told him, "…the captain—"

He cut her off after hearing the desired answer. "Yes! _That!_ Since when have _Dearka_ been giving you rides to work?!"

The brunette scrunched her brows together. "Since forever," she deadpanned, her tone was the very essence of the word 'duh', and Yzak wanted to do nothing more than to pull his hair out of their roots. Oh, for crying out loud…

The silver-head closed his eyes, hoping to get at least a few seconds of sanity. He did not know why, but the thought and image of Shiho and Dearka in the same car every goddamn morning didn't bode too well for him. "From now on, I forbid you to ride with Elsman," his voice laced with finality and dared the woman to even try to rebuke what he had just ordered.

The spark in her violet eyes erupted. Crossing her arms across her chest, she stared glared at him, defiantly, "And what makes you think you could do that?" Her tone was too polite and unnervingly cool, yet the underlying message was clear to him; 'why?'

"_Because_! It's not safe with Elsman!" he paused, gaining his momentum to back up his reasoning. "And I'm your commanding officer so you are incline to heed my orders!" he quickly added as an afterthought.

Shiho's hard stare was even frostier than ever before seemingly being that she had not gotten the desire answer she wanted to hear, or better yet, an answer that justifies his claim. "How is it that I'm putting myself in danger by hitching a ride with Captain Elsman, Sir? In fact, he is quite the entertainer in the morning."

_That two-timing treacherous bastard_, he thought, darkly. _Wait till Haww gets a load of this._

Instead of responding to her queries, he ventured into another curiosity he had been dwelling on. "Since when have you been so comfortable with him? Need I remind you that he is in a monogamous relationship with his girlfriend?"

"If you're worrying about my virtue and my reputation, then I implore you to stop. We are simply good friends, nothing more," she assured him, practically spatting words for words as she spoke. And plus, the thought of her and the infamous blond captain being together was repulsive as her wearing the standard women's uniform for ZAFT. Simply atrocious.

He scoffed in disbelief. Please, as if. "'Friends' you say? That man is a walking promiscuous, flirtatious beast who cannot stop himself from coquetting with the opposite sex within a mile of radius from him despite the fact that he is in a romantic relationship with Haww! It's a wonder that Haww could keep him at bay till this day!"

The pretty brunette rolled her violet eyes. "You know, Commander, it's truly a wonder how you can be friends with Captain Elsman yet badmouth him the minute you turn your back on him."

"I say we complement each other; he's the idiot and I'm the smart one," he told her. "And quit trying to change the subject. Dearka's service for you is now invalid as of today."

She glared. "Then how am I supposed to go to work?"

Yzak rolled his shoulders noncommittally as he started the engine to resume driving once again. "You said so yourself; the taxi, train, bus…the possibilities are endless." He paused to give her an enquiring look. "You are a smart woman, Hahnenfuss, make good use of that brain of yours."

If she was not insulted before, she was hell of insulted right now. "Commander," she called, through gritted teeth. "For those possibilities that you've stated, I have to wake up extra early to get ready and leave for work on time."

"Then buy a car," he suggested with ease, shrugging nonchalantly without sparing a glance at the brunette.

She ignored the suggestion. "I believe since you forbid me to hitch a ride with the captain, and he was, by far, the most reliable person at times, Sir, you are held responsible for my transportation."

"Fine, then I'll take you to work," he said in a breeze as if it wasn't a big deal.

Shiho, on the other hand, did a double take, clearly caught off guard by the sudden and overwhelmingly unexpected option. "W-what? I beg your pardon." No, he may not, _will _not take her to work every day. Seeing how they can barely see eye to eye with one another, imagine seeing him every morning to start off her day. It was enough seeing him every day at work but picking her up for work? Simply not going to happen.

"I'll take you to work," he repeated, sounding a tad bit irritated that he had to repeat himself. "You don't live too far from where I live anyways."

The brunette pursed her lips together. "I'd rather have Captain Elsman drive me to work."

Sparing a glare to the woman next to him, Yzak growled. "The devil's with you, woman! How in the world can you be so aggravating and infuriating all at once?!"

_Ah, now that's the commander I know_, she mused silently. "I believe I have a useful trait called charisma, something that you, unfortunately, lack, Sir."

_You little witch_, he thought, bitterly.

"Say, Commander," she began, deliberately taunting him with a twinkling tone of voice. "Are you by any chance, I don't know, _envious _of the relationship I have with Officer Elsman?"

With that being said, the great silver-haired heir began to start a jumble of stutters. Face beat red, he glowered at her. "W-what?! No! What in the seven levels—why would I?! There is absolutely no reason for me to be jealous of your relationship with Elsman. Hells, I shouldn't even care if you have a relationship with any other male members of my team, let alone, the entire ZAFT military!" he spluttered, flustered.

"I never said anything about you being jealous, Commander," she grinned, fluttering her long eyelashes innocently. She'd rather see this side of him than the chivalrous one. With this side, she can indefinitely push his button without being fired or lost for words. At least she knew what to say in situations like this than be rendered absolutely speechless.

Suffice to say that Yzak wasn't worried at all. If anything, he would rather not be a witness or worst—shuddered—a third wheel in their little group. His mouth gaped open. "I-I was simply looking out for a colleague nothing more. Get those stupid fantasies out of your head, Hahnenfuss," he snapped.

She released a snort that clearly said she did not believe his words one bit. "Well said, Sir."

Ego bruised, Yzak decided to close the conversation once and for all and focused on his driving. The faster he gets her home, the better. His tolerance level of bantering with the said woman had finally reached its limits and was about a minuscule away from exploding. "Oh, shut up."

* * *

.

"Thank you for the ride, Sir." From the way she had said those words (choppy and short), it sounded more of a force rather than an actual appreciation, not that Yzak cared. He had done the most gentleman-like thing by giving the damsel a ride home and offered—in her eyes, it was something that was forced upon—to bring the bags up to her apartment door.

"Think none of it, Hahnenfuss," he grumbled in equal truncation, placing the bags of groceries on the foot of the door of her apartment.

The woman stared down to the silver-head who was fixing the bags in place, unsure what else to do other than to punch in her lock code and open her door. Feeling compelled that she had to at least offer him something after what he had done, Shiho made a hand gesture towards the inside of her place. "Would you… like to come in and have some coffee, Commander?" she offered, cautiously. Though the Hahnenfuss heiress knew the answer to her own question, it was out of politeness to bother asking the said man.

Yzak solemnly shook his head, slightly making some silver locks fluttered across his forehead. "No, thank you. I think it's best for me to head home since the weather isn't cooperating today."

"Well the sky looks like it's going to rain soon so you'd better hurry home, Sir," she told him, awkwardly diverting her gaze to anyone but him, as for the latter, well, he was too busy trying to make himself look preoccupied.

After a few more uncomfortable confrontations, Shiho decided to be the one who ended the stillness, given that she had had enough of the awkwardness after his decline of invitation, and well, their little episode downstairs when she had a little bantering with the commander regarding who should bring the bags upstairs. And inevitably, of course, he had won. The image of his triumphant snobbish smirk brought a bitter grimace on her face.

"Well then, thank you for the ride. Good night, Commander." She bowed her head.

Yzak nodded. "I'll see you on Monday." And without another glance backward, he walked down the corridor towards the main elevator of the floor and pressed the down button. As he waited patiently for the lift to come to his level, he surreptitiously peered down the hallway and his eyes zeroed into the womanly silhouette in front of her apartment door. She was busing herself with the bags of groceries by bringing them inside with ease, much to his relief. He was slightly regretting not to at least bring the groceries inside to help but figured a woman like Hahnenfuss would fuss over it. Just like how she was glaring behind him as he insisted on the one bringing the bags all the way up to her floor level. Once again, he had pulled ranks, much to her chagrin, and refused to let the woman bring them up for herself.

He didn't feel the need to prolong his stay over after what happened. Yzak made his way down to the main entrance of the complex building, bidding his head goodbye to the hologram woman behind the concierge desk and strode out of the door, immediately locating his parked car near the curb and a parking meter.

Well, the real trouble began to stir when he entered his vehicle and turned on—correction, _attempted_—to start the car. He froze. Eyes wide opened, he frantically began to do another attempt turning on the ignition. A string of colorful words followed by a few more unsuccessful attempts on starting made the silver-head punch the steering wheels. Within seconds, he stomped out of the car, kicked the side front bumper repeatedly—disregarding the fact that he had somewhat stubbed his right foot—and yelled out, "For Christ's sake! Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" As if it was a cue, the dark clouds began to rumble and a shot of lightning bolted its way down to the street. A pregnant pause ensued shortly afterwards, not long before a gush of rainfall began to rush its way down to the street.

Yzak glared up at the dark sky and began to curse out loud, angrily stomping his foot. "Are you serious? What have I done that deserve this stupid treatment, damn it!" he fumed. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he furiously began to speed dial a number.

"_Hello, darling_," the other line drawled happily in a sing-song voice.

He blanched and immediately heated up in irritation. "How many times do I have to tell you to never address me like that? Damn it, Dearka!"

The silver-head could practically sense his best friend rolling his eyes in the other line. "_Yeah, yeah, quit being a spoilsport. What do you want? If you're wondering about whether or not your vacation is still valid then I'm sorry to break it to you—_"

Yzak interjected, not desiring to hear the redundant speech his friend was about to narrate, "I know that I am going to work this week, you idiot! I'm calling to ask you where you are."

The other line went silent for a moment then finally, he spoke up, his tone filled with suspicion and curiosity. "_Why? Let me guess, you're lonely and you need a buddy to drink with? Man, Yzak. You are that pitiful_." Much to Yzak's chagrin, the needling man had the nerve to click his tongue.

"Shut up, Elsman! It's not like that and quit pitying me, I am perfectly fine by myself." He glared at the sky and cursed it for its impeccable timing to pour its water down. He did not recall anything about today being a rainy day in the news he saw this morning. What was wrong with the damn weather control system in Aprilius nowadays?

"_Fine,_" answered Dearka, tersely. "_But where are you? And why are you yelling?_"

He tensed up at the question addressed to him. How the hell was he supposed to explain that his car broke down after dropping off Hahnenfuss home? Surely the damn blond wouldn't stop himself from prying into his dilemma. "If you must know, I'm out in the pouring rain, idiot! I'm yelling because I can't hear myself talking to you!" Technically speaking, he was outside where it was raining like cats and dogs, but it was better to omit the fact that he was standing right outside Shiho's complex for it would lead to a least probable and desire conversation that would further contribute to his ire.

"_And why are you out in the rain? Shouldn't you be at home enjoying a book like the nerd you are?_" Dearka skeptically remarked.

"My car broke down in the middle of the goddamn road. So kindly do me a favor pick up me up as I call the towing service for them to tow my car," Yzak explained as he stretched the back of his trench coat over his head to act like a hood but like he predicted it was vain attempt to shield himself from the continuous droplets.

"_Well, right now is probably not a good idea since I'm eating out with Mir_," he replied, unsurely.

Impatience got the best of him and took over, bulldozing his willingness to endure another second of diligence to the side. "I couldn't care less if you were doing a number two in the toilet, get your ass over here, it's an order!" He paused momentarily as he remembered a certain topic to bring up. "And I have a bone to pick on you! Since when have you been giving Hahnenfuss rides to work, you idiot! Does Haww even know that you're doing this?" The sore topic brought a bitter scowl on his face.

"_Now wait just a minute,_ _Yzak_—," the line suddenly went dead.

His irritation faltered and grew into something akin to confusion. Frowning, he began to call him out, "Hello? Dearka?"

His only response was silent.

He pulled his phone away from his ear and the sight of his dark screen was enough to make him roar. His puzzled look transformed into a scowl as he cursed the sky above him. "Well that's just fantastic, _fucking fantastic_! What else do you have in store for me? Thunders?"

As if it was a cue, a bolt of lightning sparked to life and hit the light pole meters away from him.

Yzak glared back up, outraged. "Really? Anymore tricks under your sleeves because I've got nothing to lose."

His only response was that it rained even harder than before.

His glare intensified. Goddamn it.

* * *

.

The sound of the doorbell rang inside her place as Shiho was finishing up stocking her fridge with the latest item from her bag. Curious to who it might be this late, she abandoned her current activity and opened the threshold without a good look of the person behind her door from her intercom system. And lo and behold, she was in for a rude awakening. "Commander," she gasped the moment she saw him. "What are you still doing here?" Her tone sounded skeptical, adding along with the sight of her commander's drenched clothes was alarming her even more.

The Joule heir forced a smile, but instead, it produced into a bitter and equally sour grimace. "Does your offer for coffee still stand?"

* * *

.

The silver-head muttered a quiet appreciation as Shiho placed the mug of coffee before him. His eyes were still glued onto the screen of his mobile device, glaring and hoping that the useless apparatus would just disappear into oblivion since it wasn't capable of performing its job, at least in his opinion. Hadn't it put it in power saving mode before he start his day today? What was the point of having this stupid gadget if it was going to die in the direst situation?

Without Hahnenfuss's aid, he brought his load of groceries inside since he was afraid that some products were going to go spoil, especially the dairy product, if they were to sit in his back trunk in a warm temperature. Yzak had profusely apologized for the inconvenience he had caused, and his subordinate stated think none of it since she was happy to help the man whom she called commander when he needs help.

He had borrowed a phone charger from Shiho and the second that his mobile device came back to life, he immediately called the damn blond. He hadn't even taken a good look of just how ordinary Shiho's condo was, not a hint of femininity at place. Yzak was dead on trying to get his phone to work back on to try and reach the Elsman heir. God forbid what he was going to do to him if the damn blond doesn't pick up.

And what do you know, to no one surprise—particularly his, at least—the stupid meddlesome idiot had the audacity to ignore his calls and by the fifth ring, the automatize caller directed him to the voicemail box. Damn him! If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't at home, the phone in his hand would've flown across the room by now. But he needed to be civil right now since it was far from his jurisdiction, his comfort zone. He was not at home and acting irrational would just be barbaric especially in front of Hahnenfuss.

Not desiring to spit out a string of colorful words or another episode of his infamous tantrums, he called the towing company and informed them of his location and instructed them to heft it to the nearest automobile shop to get it fix. Unfortunately for him, the towing service was about to close in five minutes so there was no possible way that they can hefty his car to the auto repair shop anytime soon. He released an exasperated sigh before reluctantly agreeing with the man on the other line on scheduling an appointment the next morning, exchanged a few more instructions and numbers before hanging up. At least he got one thing straightened out, but now, how the hell was he supposed to get home?

"You know, having a complaisant attitude once in a while won't kill you, Sir," he heard Shiho chided across the room, almost hauntingly.

He finally latched his head up at look at the brunette and glared. "What?" He snapped, daring her to repeat what she had just said.

And dare she did, in a more clarifying reason. "What I meant was, you can't expect people to be at your beck and call regardless of the hours, sir. Not everything is going to go according to your plan, therefore there's no reason to be discontent about it. Be accommodating for once," Shiho rephrased, almost sighing in exasperation.

"We are soldiers, hence, he is always on duty twenty-four-seven," he remarked, indignantly.

Shiho rolled her eyes. The commander lives and breathe for the military, she cannot recall a moment when the man had taken a day off for a leisure vacation. "Sir, I must ask, when was the last time you check your car for maintenance?" she wondered, absolutely curious to why his car had broken down.

Yzak grumbled as he took a small sip of his coffee before placing it back down on top of the coffee table. "I don't know, last month," he replied, halfheartedly, purposely avoiding her taunting gaze and found the floor of her flat somewhat more interesting, more so than her look that was ready for an episode of inquisition.

He was given a flat, deadpanned look that clearly said it wasn't believable.

The silver-head narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine, two months ago."

A brown defiant brow was raised.

He gritted his teeth, annoyed. Must she always patronize him like this? "Three months."

She crossed her arms and began to tap her foot in a torturous rhythmic manner.

His nose began to flare. She really had the knack to irk him this far, huh? "Four months."

Shiho leveled an unimpressed gaze to him that made him twitched in irritation. Soon after, a martyr sigh was released, causing the silver-head to visible snap all together as if it was the last straw.

Finally, an itching nerve popped on the side of his temple as provoked and he stood up, pointing an accusing and irritated finger at her. "Fine! It was _seven_ months ago, damn it! Quit giving me that look!" He snapped. Damnation! What was with this woman that had always struck a nerve in him?

She shook her head disapprovingly and clicked her tongue in a manner that clearly mocked his very existence. "And I thought that you were supposed to be the diligent and responsible one." Adding more insult to the wound, she shot a triumphant grin at him. Goddamn that woman.

"Shut up." He shot her a reproaching look. His fists were itching to do something about the needling woman. If it weren't for the damn law and the social conduct of how men can never raise a hand against a woman, he would abandon all what's left of humanity within him and show some violent version of disciplinary. "It's not my fault I don't have the time to send my car to the auto repair shop. Perhaps you are forgetting that I hold a high position in the military and have to oversee my division every day, hence, my time is solely consumed with work. All you women are frustrating to no end." The latter statement was said through a fit of mumble, but it was loud enough for a Coordinator's ears to pick up the saying.

She quirked a brow. "Was that a compliment for the female population, sir?"

He scoffed. "Take it as an insult if you must," the silver-haired man harrumphed.

The pretty brunette smirked, an action that made his eyes twitched in annoyance. "Then, I'll take it as a compliment."

Yzak felt compelled to face-palm his forehead and run the hand down the length of his face. Words cannot describe just how annoyed and frustrated he was feeling right now. Instead, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Don't worry, Commander. I'll make sure to properly remind you to put your car into the service for next month's check-up."

Her only response was a stubborn grunt from him.

Putting aside all the jokes, the real question was left unsaid and unanswered. "But, Sir, exactly how are you getting home tonight?" the brunette wondered, thoughtfully.

With that question said, Yzak's irritation evolved into an annoyed and frustrated disposition. "I do not have the slightest clue on how I will go home, Hahnenfuss," the man sighed earnestly, frankly speaking he did not know where else to go.

Then Shiho did something that Yzak, well, never could actually believe in hearing. "Well, then, how about staying at my place for the night?" she offered, diplomatically.

The look she received from her commander was as if he had just heard the most ludicrous statement ever in his life.

* * *

.

Sleep did not evade him easily. Seemingly enough, Yzak was having a hard time to even have a minute of sleep there were many reasons that contributed to his current insomnia. For one thing, he was sleeping on a sofa, a rather small sofa that was not long enough for his body frame hence, he had been tossing and turning on the cushion for god knows how long. Hahnenfuss had the courtesy to loan him some clothes that surprisingly fitted his body frame. She claimed that sleeping in men clothes were much comfortable than wearing the women's nighties that were itchy and uncomfortable. At first, he had vehemently refused her offer to stay in for the night. Firstly, he was a man, an _unmarried_ man. And regardless of how much Hahnenfuss acted more like the opposite sex than her actual gender, she was still in fact, a woman, an _unmarried_ woman. Call him traditional, but he was raised as a gentleman, and if his mother gets a load of this, of him sleeping over at a woman's place whom he had no romantic affiliation whatsoever, she'll skin him alive. Well, perhaps he would be spare since it was, after all, his betroth and it was over at her place. But that was beside the point. In addition, the clamorous sound of the rain hitting against the window panel of the apartment wasn't doing any good for his nightly slumber. And finally, he was not sleeping at home but rather a place where he wasn't familiar with, let alone it's a _woman's_ home.

_Get a hold of yourself_, _it's only Hahnenfuss, _he reminded himself_. She acts more like a man even more so than a woman. Shut up and start counting sheep._

He closed his eyes and began to imagine the wool covered animal.

_One sheep…_

_Two sheep…_

_Three sheep…_

_Four sheep…_

He paused, good god, what the _hell _was he doing?

Frustrated by his lack of progress, he opened his stinging eyes and huffed out loud from how ridiculous he was being. He sat up and began to ruffle his silver locks. He needed a glass of water, perhaps that'll ease his overly exhausted mind.

He got up and began to maneuver around in the darkness with precautious since he was in an unfamiliar territory. Sadly, his long years of military-trained covertness and Coordinator's enhanced abilities had failed him for he had clumsily stubbed his toe onto a corner of a furniture. "Son of a—_damnation_!" he shrieked out loud, instinctively backing up to grab hold of something. His hand began to search for a solid object to grab onto before he falls from the sudden jerk of pain. The odds were clearly against him since he had grabbed on to nothingness and failed to regain his momentum, allowing gravity to do its law of physics. His body crashed into the wooden floor with his left side of the body meeting the ground first before the rest of his frame followed soon after. Unbeknownst to him, his fall had awakened his brunette hostess, alarming her of the intruding sound of the night.

"Commander? Is that you?" she called out, her voice strained and rasped, indicating that she had been woken up by his clamorous action. The moment she caught sight of her commander sprawling on the cold, hard, wooden floor, she gasped and leveled herself to his level to aid him up. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"I'm fine," he grunted, accepting the hand she had offered as his brunette counterpart hefted him up in ease.

She surveyed his frame from top to bottom, looking for any possible signs of injuries and to her relief found none. "What were you doing?"

Rolling his shoulder to ease the aching pain that was growing from the fall, he grumbled, "Attempting to get a glass of water." He paused and blinked at her, "What are you doing still up at this hour?"

"Can't sleep," she lied, smoothly. Well, it wasn't an entire lie.

Hearing her reason somewhat alarmed him. Was it because he was here? "Sorry," he began, muttering, "I'll call Dearka to pick me up now." He could give a rat ass about whether or not that damn idiot was sleeping. If she wasn't comfortable with him sleeping here then there was no use in staying unwelcome.

She shook her head. "No, there's no need for you to do that."

The silver-head frowned in return. "Then, why can't you sleep? Did I wake you?"

"Well sort of…" seeing the guilty and regretful look on his face made her quick add, "And I've just been thinking about something so I couldn't sleep anyways…"

"About?" He urged, promptly.

She paused for a long moment, boring her violet eyes into his blue ones, before shaking her head. "Nothing of importance." Before he could protest and called her out for leaving him hanging from the suspense and momentum, she cut him off with an offer. "I'll get that water for you."

The Joule heir's protest that was forming in his mouth died right there soon after the gracious offer.

Yzak followed his brunette subordinate to the kitchen and slyly slid on top of a stool in the island table, awaiting for his beverage. He lazily began to drum his fingers on top of the cool kitchen counter while he used his other hand to rest his chin up whilst the elbow propped themselves on top of the table. His eyes began to idly trail themselves to the silhouette of the brunette as she sashayed her way towards the cupboard to grab a tall glass in her impeccably graceful strides, but not before she flicked the kitchen light on. He noticed that even though she wore a tee-shirt that was rather on the large side, it still somehow was able to display a good view of her womanly curves, something that he had never thought that the woman had since day and night she would clad herself in a male uniforms or jeans and simple blouses. As his blue eyes trailed downwards, he noticed that she had rather slim and toned pair of legs—noting the pair since she was rather wearing pajama shorts and was tiptoeing to reach the tall cupboard—something that he found very enticing and somewhat pleasing to the eyes.

His drumming fingers stopped their movements as he suddenly went still. His mind began to backpedal the disturbing, discourteous and blasphemous thought he just had a second ago. _What in the name of the lord was I thinking?_ He scolded himself. Eyes widened, he began to erupt into a series fit of uncomfortable coughs.

What in the _world_ made in viewed Hahnenfuss as if she was some kind of, of…_exotic _dancer? He blinked rapidly and furiously rubbed his eyes in hopes to get some sense into him, and couldn't wrap him thick head around the thought he had just now. No, no way did that just happened. There must be some plausible explanation to why he had such indiscreet thought about one of his own subordinate, and it was _Hahnenfuss_ for god sake. Perhaps it was because he was still up at this time.

Yes, this obscure thought of his was due to his lack of sleep. That can be the averse reason why he wasn't himself right now.

"Here you go, Commander," she said, breaking his disturbing trance as she offered him the glass of water. "Are you all right? I heard you coughing a lot earlier."

"I'm fine," he managed to croak. He nervously cleared his throat and reached for the offer, nodding in appreciation before immediately starting to gulp down the cool liquid to ease his growing discomfort.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said, viewing her from the rim of the glass.

"Fire away," she said, coolly, pouring a cup of water for herself.

The Joule heir cleared his throat once more before beginning his question. "By any chance…"

She quirked a brow up as he cut his statement short. "…Yes?" she urged, expectantly.

_Why did you agree to this marriage? _"Why is that there are no feminine colors in your place?" He blurted out instead.

Shiho owlishly blinked. "Pardon?"

Sensing the perplexity in the tone on her part, he hurriedly continued. "All I see are gray, black, white, and..._black_," he added, sounding disdainful. His eyes scanned around premise of the kitchen walls and indeed the walls were painted in a dark shade of gray. The linings of the walls were covered in a broken eggshell white color, he hated to admit that the tone of the setting here was a lot like the one he had back at his place. The crisped, simple, and monotonous 'feng shui' she had here almost made it feel like he was at home; keyword _almost_.

Her eyes followed his trail of sight and a light frown marred her clean face. "Well, I happened to like dark colors, Sir. It's not a crime for me to paint my walls in gray and white," she answered, tersely as she took a sip of her water.

"Right," he replied, lamely, nodding his head. They both fell into a long moment of silence, unsure of what other topic to bring up this late at night, not to mention, one of the party (most notably the silver-head one) wasn't feeling all too comfortable here to begin with.

"I… would like to apologize," she began, softly after another few moments of awkward stillness.

A confused expression graced his face. "For what?"

"On behalf of my father," she sighed.

Now, Yzak was even more confused than before. "What about him?"

Shiho seemed to hesitate before finally relenting to answer his question. "He tends to…charge people with questions that are rather too…_straightforward_. They tend to be so brusquely that it may seem as if he was affronting you." She paused to look at him, possibly searching for any possible evidence that her father had indeed insulted him in any way. "I didn't warn you ahead of time, so it was my fault, too. I apologize." Her violet orbs fell to the ground as if she was ashamed of a heinous crime she had just committed.

"Oh," was all he could dumbly say. Well, what else was he supposed to say when he was rather caught off guard by this unexpected confession and apology? If any, he expected her to bid her good night and leave it as that. "Well, he didn't insult me if that's what you were worried about." _Or so I'd like think_, he added, optimistically.

She pushed herself off of the edge of the counter and expertly maneuvered herself to the sink, placing her empty glass down. "My father isn't the easiest man to get along with, Sir. He is always reserved, a man of few words, and detest failures." The pretty brunette whirled around to meet his blue eyes, who looked a bit startled by the eye contact that was made. But the look that she was giving him was almost hollow and judging by how she hadn't notice that he had broken the eye contact, her mind was far away.

If Shiho had noticed his moment of weakness, she didn't show it and simply continued. "Being a daughter of my father wasn't always easy, seeing how I'm an only child and notably, a _girl_." The last word was said in a dry humor but he could hear just a pinch of pain in her tone and it somewhat and peculiarly strained him just a tad bit. "It seems like everything I do, of all my accomplishments, had never once caught his eyes. He would look at me without any emotions and would simply pat a hand of my shoulder and would say nothing. Not one word of 'Atta girl' or a 'good job' or any of that sort of nature. Nothing. I feel so inferior to him and will never gain his attention. Sometimes…I wish that I would've been born a male." Silence once again engulfed the atmosphere as Yzak stared long and hard to the only female he knew that was capable of defying him without getting a slip of letter complaining about insubordination from him. Since when had he ever seen her so vulnerable and expose like this? The way she was explaining her insecurities and issues regarding her relationship with her father had thoroughly caught him off guard. Hell, he wasn't expecting a heart to heart confession from the woman across from him.

Though he was brought up as a gentleman, his knowledge of how to console a vulnerable girl was zero to none. He had no sweet words to sugar coat situations like these, and he wasn't about to just say that everything was going to be all right. That just wasn't him at all. He was the kind of guy who made others understand the reality of situation, no matter how crude and blunt he could be. Well for one thing, he was wholly grateful that Hahnenfuss hadn't shed a tear. Yet. And prayed to the big man upstairs that there wasn't going to be a chance of any of that anytime soon. But hell, he wasn't train to offer a shoulder to cry on. There wasn't a book on 'How to Comfort a Girl when She's Crying 101' out in the market, at least, to his knowledge there wasn't. So in a situation like this, what words were best said? Especially since it was Hahnenfuss?

He groaned internally. Blast it all. He'll cheer up her spirit his way, damn it. Yzak Joule-style.

He glanced back to the brunette who was quietly comforting herself by rubbing her hands up and down her arms, and from the looks of it, she was about to say something, most likely something along the lines of 'please forget about what I just said, it was just me rambling' judging by the grim look on her face, so what did he do best? Beat her to it.

"Well that's some horseshit," he finally said, blatantly, cutting whatever momentum his counterpart had since the words had practically died in her throat.

Shiho, who was fully prepared on shutting down the subject, snapped her neck to his direction and looked quite shock with a hint of contempt, "_Excuse me_?"

"You heard me, that's a load of horseshit," he repeated without hesitation.

Yzak saw the woman before him switched on to full on defense mode, seeing how her violet eyes began to flare and her fists were clenched tightly. "And why is it a 'load of horseshit'? Mind enlighten me, Sir?" she asked, daringly. How she managed to look calm, serene, and angry all at the same time was beyond him. If it was him, he would have gone apeshit and throttle his insulting ass across the room and rip off his family jewel by now without bothering to hear an explanation from the other party.

For the life of him, he was glad the Shiho had patience like that of a rock because he would like his viable piece of male anatomy still intact like where it was right now. He shuddered at the possible thought of it. The glaring look on her face demand an explanation from his rather blunt and invective statement. "Your father doesn't think less of you for what you are. In fact, I believe he's a man with few words, incapable of expressing his true feelings."

She allowed the words to sink in and her grim expression mollified tremendously, at least she now didn't look like she was out for blood, _his_ blood. "…Like you, Sir?"

He glared daggers at her. "We are not talking about me, Hahnenfuss, get back on track."

"Of course, Sir."

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," he shot her another narrowed look. "I believe your father is rather proud of what you've accomplished in life so far, regardless of the fact that he expressed it without words."

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "And how would you know? You didn't spend the last twenty-two years of your life with him. The only time he had praised me was when I had graduated in the top 5 percent in the Academy and made it to ZAFT as a Red Elite. Other than that, he had never once acknowledge me."

"Woman," Yzak sighed, exasperatedly, "I may not know how it feels like growing up with a father, but I do know how it feels like growing up with a parent who loves you unconditionally."

"You don't understand. It's different," she said through gritted teeth, almost frustratingly.

He shook his head, "I _do_ understand. I'm a military brat just like you so I know what it's like to have to work your ass off to get somewhat of a spare glance from your parents. But you know what I've realized throughout the years? Actions speaks louder than words. My mother was a busy woman but not once have she ever miss an important occasion for me let alone call me a burden. Have your father ever tell you that you were the biggest disappointment of his life? Have he ever once look down on you? Raise a hand on you? Turn away from you?"

"No," she faintly answered, thoughtfully and admittedly.

And Yzak kept on rolling. "Was he there for your graduation? No, I'm not only talking about you graduating from the Academy, but had he ever missed one of your award ceremonies when you were in school? Promotions? Birthdays?" he recalled seeing pictures of her and her father and mother in numerous momentous occasions hanging on the walls at her parents' house that night. With all the medallions and merits that were displayed in the glass shelves in the study room, did she seriously believe that her father had never acknowledge her? _Women_. So blind of what was in front of them.

"Well, no—"

"Then every step in your life that was a crucial moment was important to him. _You_ are important to him. Do you even know what century we are in right now? Women's Rights have been long established centuries ago, men and women have been viewed as equal even before we Coordinators were created. So don't give me the bullshit of you not being acknowledge because of your biological sex. Your father cannot be more proud of you with all that you've accomplished so far. I know that if I was your father, I could give a rat ass about you being a female, I would be proud of calling you my daughter."

The pretty brunette stared long and hard at him with wide doe-like eyes that looked at him as if he had just sprouted a second head, or perhaps even a third. Finally, a playful smirk began tugging on her lips. "Wow, who would've known that the great Commander Yzak Joule of ZAFT was a sentimental person?"

Immediately, faint shades of pink bubbled to his cheeks as he turned away. "Shut up, Hahnenfuss, you're ruining my momentum here. I'm trying to help you."

Shiho released a fit of heartedly chuckles. "And help you did. Thank you, Commander. Although, I'd like to exempt the part of you imagining to be my father, that's quite a disturbing image you've made, Sir." Her tone was sincere and earnest and hearing it brought a smug half-grin on his lips.

"Well, forgive me for trying to prove a point and getting that through your thick skull, woman."

"Indeed you did, Commander, and I'm forever grateful for it," she smiled softly. The smile she radiated at him made Yzak stare at her face a tad bit too long than what he had expected. Realizing that a bit too late, he quickly shook his head and cleared his throat, shifting himself from the stool to stand up.

"Well, I'm calling it a night. Thanks for the…water," he raised the cup, nodding to her in appreciation.

"I believe it's a 'good morning' since it's now two o'clock in the morning," she mused, cocking her head towards her wall clock on the opposite end of them. Yzak followed her gaze and a frown began to mare his pale face. Great; how wonderful it was to ruin his biological clock schedule today. "But nonetheless," she continued, her tone laced with fairy twinkle, "have a good sleep, Commander. And, thank you once again. I needed that wake up call." With that said, she strode to the light switcher and flicked it down, dimming the kitchen area into darkness once again. And without a backward glance at him, she sashayed her way to the corridor that led to the master bedroom. Once Yzak heard the clicking sound of her door shut, he released a long and dragged breath that he didn't realize that he was holding.

He quickly made his way to his makeshift bed on Shiho's couch and laid himself comfortably. As he shifted around the small space to search for the right sleeping position, he couldn't help but to think about what just transpired between them. It finally occurred to him that he had at last converse with Hahnenfuss easily without the topic of work or let alone bickering and needling one another. Now that he thought about it, it was probably one of the first conversation he had with her where she hadn't sound sarcastic at all and it was quite refreshing.

Having a decent conversation with the fiancée?

_Check that box with a big fat check, please._

Not to mention that it was a heart-to-heart one.

Evidently, the grin on his face remained plastered all the way until he lullabied himself to a deep relaxing slumber, feeling quite victorious about what he had just accomplished.

Now _that _is what you call a major progression. Hallelujah.

* * *

**A/N:** How did you all like the interaction between the two? And Yzak staying over at Shiho's place? Hoho! Classic! :D Let me know what you think by reviewing!

I sincerely hope that it won't take me this long to update again. Sorry, life has been rather unpleasant for me but hey, I'm still alive. Anyways, until next time people!

.

**Pandora154085-** Thank you for your wonderful review! Hehe, maybe, maybe not? We'll see the answer in a later chapter shall we?

**Tynuccia-** Aw, thank you! And about who Shiho's infatuated with? Hmm, you'll find out soon enough! :D

**Char**\- Haha yes! I feel that Shiho is like another Dearka but in a female version, minus the playful and the oozing charisma! Thanks for reading!

**Yomako Tekinda**\- Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope that this chapter is to your liking! Especially the interactions between our favorite characters!

**Yennefer**\- Haha that's one reason why I love writing this story. I get to torture Yzak any way I like. :D Ooohhh, good guess, but let's keep up the suspense until further notice. Thank you for your encouragement! I hope you like this chapter!


	8. Step Four Part I: Neurotic Insecurity

**7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss**

Step Four Part I: Neurotic Insecurity

foureyesfreak27

**Summary:** Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

**A/N: **Oh god, I'm such a horrible, horrible person. Happy Thanksgiving (for those in the US and Canada)! Happy Halloween! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Chinese New Year! Happy Valentine's Day! Jeez, I am _so_ sorry. Life right now has been rather…unpleasant to me so it's pretty hard to juggle my real world and my life as a netizen here. Anyways, again, I apologize for the long overdue chapter. It's not as long as the last one so please bear with me. Thank you all once again for your continual support! Shout out to my regular and avid reviewers and my silent readers!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

**Warning:** This chapter has not been fully edited yet. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

* * *

.

"_A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity."_

-Robert A. Heinlein

.

**Step 4:** _At this stage, both you and your lady are probably all affection with one another. Perhaps a kiss here and there, so that makes you both exclusive. But being exclusive with your lady lover isn't going to stop other leering men from trying to hit on her. Face it, jealousy is an emotional killer. _

_Of course, you'll be feeling all territorial and want to show the damn man who's flirting with her who her man is. Do __**NOT**__ be consumed by the ugly emotion. Simmer your boiling feelings down, and think rationally about the situation and don't let jealousy cloud your better judgement. Just remember, if she's not acting on the flirt, she's not interested so there's nothing to worry about._

* * *

.

Every morning when Yzak reported himself to work, others would have the courtesy to stop whatever that they were doing at that moment to greet one of the most respected Commander whenever he passed by. It was a given for him since he was one of the few well-known war veterans that had helped end the Second Bloody Valentine War along with another fellow comrade, Kira Yamato. He would respectfully greet them back with a simple nod of acknowledge and return the salutation politely. But today in particular he was greeted by others in a rather peculiar one. Rather than the normal 'Good morning, Commander', it was a;

"Congratulation, Commander," said another soldier who stopped to greet him with a ZAFT salute.

Halfway from lifting his pale hand to return the standard military greeting, Yzak paused momentarily before finishing the salute. Not knowing what else to say, after hearing the same greeting for about the umpteenth time since this morning, the silver-head commander merely gave him a curt nod along with a questionable gaze before continuing onwards. Not before he wore a puzzled look once more.

_Something is off_, was what Yzak concluded as he politely took in the zillionth word of congratulation today. Truth be told, it was rather overwhelming for him to be receiving such praises from soldiers of all rankings, even those whom he'd never encountered daily took the initiative to greet him in such formal manner. He continued walking past the corridor and received yet another odd salutation from two female soldiers going about their way to the opposite end.

This had been going on since yesterday, and for the life of him he couldn't quite understand what the fuss was about. Unlike today, yesterday congrats with a pat on the back were merely from his superiors. He had inquired them about it, wondering if something was amiss or rather he was going to get a promotion but all those old farts merely chuckled at his dumbfounded behavior and simply walked away, much to his irritation. Quite frankly, it was annoying and scaring him all together. First of all, everyone—and when he said everyone, he meant _everyone_ in the goddamn military facility—has been congratulating him since then. From the high ranking officials of colonels and generals to the technicians he saw at the hangar all the way down the social hierarchy in the damn facility. Hell, even his doctor earlier said her parts and when Yzak had asked what for—once again, the answer was omitted and their reply was too vague—the woman merely shook her head and muttered some incoherent words. He hated to admit but all of this was getting to him. He didn't know whether or not he should just disregard it or dig it up, because honestly, why in the world were they congratulating him for?

That following Monday after his little sleepover over at Hahnenfuss's place, Dearka bombarded him with inquisitions like there was no tomorrow. Yzak, hoping that the blond would drop the subject of his misfortune, had easily brushed him off, stating that he had gotten his car towed that same night and earned a ride from the towing company as he contacted his insurance company regarding his vehicle. Although the quirky blond suspected that his silver-head friend had omitted some details from him, he surprisingly didn't push it and simply accepted the answer much to Yzak's utter relief (well, not before a few words regarding his involvement with picking up the brunette for work). A few weeks had flown by after that day and he and Hahnenfuss began to fall into the same routine at work once again. It wasn't as if they were purposely forgetting that night, but it was a topic that they choose to not bring up, for the sake of preventing gossip mongers and of course let's not forget, the headquarters' favorite gossip monger, Dearka. It amazed him just how impeccably nonchalant and apathetic that woman could be. And if it weren't for the fact that she seldom gave him tender smile here and there, he would've sworn that that night when she had exposed her vulnerability to him was all just his imagination.

Being the Good Samaritan that he was, he courteously had offered to pick her up from her place. The madden woman adamantly refused his charity offer of picking her up for work repeatedly, much to his chagrin. According to her, she would rather take the jammed-pack trains and buses just to get to the headquarters, much to his irritation. He had implored her—mind you, numerous times—to at least purchase a vehicle for her convenience. But that obscurely stubborn woman adamantly refused to heed the suggestion. Well, her choice for wasting so much monetary values on inconvenience transportation that could be used for something else. But at least one thing was set straight, she had revoked any contact with Dearka in the mornings, in other words, the latter was no longer having the pleasure of driving the minx.

As he entered his private domain, he spotted his second-in-command lazily sitting on one of the guest chairs before his desk with his long legs setting too comfortably on top of it—which mildly pissed the silver-head off knowing that he had told the golden-haired captain numerous times to never do that—while aimlessly reading a report. He had grown rather tired of having to constantly remind the Elsman heir that he was his superior and should take his orders without any disobedient. Hearing the sound of footfalls, Dearka tore his attention from the papers to the intruder and his infamous lazily smirk graced his face.

"So? How are the results?" Dearka inquired conversationally. Yzak gave his blond friend a flat look before stalking towards the latter and smacked a piece of paper to his chest.

"Take a good look yourself," he replied, practically hissing the words.

Dearka threw the reports back on the desk to examine the health analysis paper. His amethyst eyes quickly scanned the piece and his eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he whistled lowly. "Wow, now that's some serious stress level." He paused, looking up at the Joule heir and quirked a brow. "Keep at it and you'll definitely be digging an early grave my friend."

"My blood pressure has risen," Yzak flatly stated, grimacing at the memory of what the doctor had told him before he had left his appointment. "But it's no surprise though." Subconsciously, he began to rub his right shoulder and involuntarily winced at a jolt of rushing pain from a particular area where he was shot with a rather large needle.

Dearka, being the observant bastard he was, smirked. _Ah_, that's right, the vaccine shot. No wonder his ire was skyrocketing off the chart today. He remembered the day as clear as the sky back on earth when everyone that graduated from the Academy had to go through a mandatory medical check-up before being officially admitted to the military. As much as he hated doctors, he hadn't mind getting himself a small check-up from his doctor—considering how the doctor who checked him was one hell of a hot babe—and it doesn't hurt that the feeling was mutual too since she was purposely stalling her hands on his body. Ah, the good ol' days when he was single and free to mingle.

Well, Yzak, on the other hand, had the misfortune of being with a rather stern, a stick-up-the-ass kind of doctor, much to his amusement.

"And what did the good doctor suggest you do to improve your condition?" he asked, raising an enquiring blond brow.

If possible, the pale man went even paler than his usual as he recalled the doctor's absolute instructions. There were many factors of why he simply loathed the military's mandatory check-ups every month. For one thing, he hated needles. Period. If he had to choose between living with the dynamic blond for a week or needles, he would pick the former in a heartbeat, despite the fact that he damn well know how the former option was going to end. And it was not going to be a pleasant one. Another factor he despised was that the people who claimed to be called 'doctors' believed that he, Yzak Joule, was digging himself an early grave for someone his age with all the stress levels he was experiencing. Many times did they try to advise and induce him to lessen his strenuous activities, and in response he, quite vocally that is, told them to 'go to hell'. And from that on, it wasn't quite a surprise that since then he was assigned to more…_stern_ doctors. But being the stubborn bastard that he was, he adamantly refused to give in, much to the folks in the Department of Health's displeasure. "Said that I should try to reduce my schedule—which is utterly preposterous given that I am the Chief Commander—and try some…stress-reducing activities."

"What kind of activities?" the blond badgered further, smirking knowingly.

"She recommended me to…_meditate_," he grimaced at the quaint suggestion. He was never one to sit down and waste considerable amount of valuable time to introspect oneself. Besides, he never claimed to be a patient person to begin with hence he just wasn't cut out doing it.

The Black Coat errupted into a fit of laughter. "_You_?_ Meditate_? Now that's something I'll pay mad money to see."

"This isn't a laughing matter, Elsman," Yzak gritted disgruntledly, clearly despising the fact that the man was gloating at his misery.

Slowly ceasing his laughter, Dearka offered an easy grin. "Okay, okay, chill buddy. But hey, jokes aside, I know this really good yoga place that Millie would force me to go with every other weekends. Why don't you go try it? It actually works for me and the instructor is capable and knows what she's doing."

The silver-head wrinkled his nose with distaste. "Are you seriously suggesting that I go and attempt to do yoga over the weekend?"

"C'mon," he cajoled casually, "it'll be relaxing. The doctor did instruct you to do less strenuous activities and meditate right?"

Yzak grumbled in response.

"And I'll take that as a 'yes'. I'll have Millie schedule you a trial class for this week. You're going to love it."

A deadpanned look graced his pale face. "And by 'love it' do you mean enjoy the scenery?"

Dearka blinked innocently. "I have no idea what you mean."

Blue eyes rolled. "You meant to tell me that aside from spending some quality times with Haww, the reason why you enjoy the classes so much is that you have the pleasure of _coincidentally_ observing the opposite sex freely in the presence of your significant other?"

"Hey, I never claimed to be a saint. The rule 'look but don't touch' is very efficient for me and Millie has no problem with that so long as I don't go hitting on the yoga instructor. And besides, if Millie is allowed to 'observe' other men when she takes pictures, I get to 'observe' other women. It's a win-win situation for the both of us," he shrewdly said, shrugging.

"I knew it," Yzak wryly noted. "So I'm guessing the reason why you enjoy the yoga sessions so much is because of the instructor."

"As a dutiful boyfriend, I'd say she's pretty but not as pretty as my girl. On the other hand as a man," Dearka paused to emphasized his point by exaggerating an exhale, "I'd say she is one smoking—"

"And that is your cue to stop," Yzak abruptly interjected, holding up a palm to further emphasize his interruption. "I'll think about it."

"Do think, because it'll be worth it."

The White Coat gave his subordinate a flat look before remembering what he wanted to inquire about in the first place. "By the way, is it me, or is everyone acting conspicuously quaint today?"

The Black Coat quirked an enquiring brow. "Really? How so?" he inquired cajolingly, awaiting for his narration as he casually leaned by against his seat.

"You know why," the silver-head spat indignantly, glaring at his counterpart. He made his way around his desk before plopping down on his seat and released a heavy sigh as he clasped his hand on his forehead and run it down his tired face. "And it's best to tell me because I've been rather disgruntled about things as of lately."

A blond brow quirked up as Dearka leaned in against the table, staring curiously at his best friend. "You wouldn't be talking about Shiho now, would you?" he said, voice filled with mirth and glee. The sly grin plastered playfully across the golden-haired man's face spoke of itself.

The Joule heir snapped his head and narrowed his icy blue eyes at his best friend. The idiotic man was dangerously trending on hot water. "Why is that whenever I am complaining about how annoyed I am you would always try to connect this with Hahnenfuss? You know what, never mind. I'd rather not hear the end of it." He added as a bitter afterthought.

Chuckling, the Elsman heir prodded the matter further. "So what's wrong?"

Whenever the good captain inquire him about what was wrong, Yzak would simply dismiss the absurd and useless question in a form of a glare. He never claimed to be one loves to tell the story of his life and all plus, it as an utter waste of time and breath. But now this particular instance, he would like to have some insightful answers and suggestions of why his day has been rather quaint. Frowning, he finally began to explain his puzzlement of the day, "Is it me, or is it that everyone here is congratulating me on an achievement that I have no clue or remember doing?"

Feeling not one bit of contrition, the Black Coat gloated even more if possible. "Is that right? I'm not surprise. Hence, allow me to congratulate you, buddy. As your longtime friend and, well, the only friend who puts up with your temper, I am quite happy that everything is going as planned. The book must've helped a lot huh?"

Yzak, not having a single clue on what the damn blond was talking about, could only narrow his eyes as suspicion washed over his face. "What in the bloody hell are you talking about, Dearka?"

The mirthful smile slowly slipped away from Dearka's face as the blond narrowed his eyes in astonishment and puzzlement. "Me? What are _you_ talking about? Seriously, are you purposely playing dumb right now, Yzak?"

Yzak gave the said man a dry smile finding the rhetorical question quite insulting. "Funny, I was about to inquire you about the same exact thing. Although it shouldn't be a surprise that you're prodding in my business as always. So let me put it simply for you; as your Chief Commanding Officer, you are oblige to heed my orders so out with it, Lieutenant Captain Elsman."

As his underling position kicked in, the Elsman heir inwardly sighed and gave a scathing glance at the silver-head. "You know…a man…a woman…together…engage to be married…will get babies…the whole nine yard and stuff…" He began to make unusual hand gestures to accompany his ambiguous explanation, much to Yzak's irritation.

Having absolutely no clue onto where the man was going with the conversation, Yzak stopped his vague explanation with a withering glare, but the dark and warning gaze he was giving Dearka, it was clear that the man was rather peeved beyond words. Blue eyes narrowed even more as the White Coat slammed his palms against the top of his desk in clear consternation. "For the love of god, Dearka, stop speaking in riddles and out with it!"

"The engagement party," the golden-haired captain stated, as if the subject he said had spoken for itself. He gave Yzak an enquiring and bewildered gaze. "Seriously man, you have no idea?"

The White Coat scrunched his brows in confusion, clearly taken aback by the new information. "Whose engagement party? Don't tell me it's someone from our division."

Dearka gave him a befuddled look, but it quickly evolved into a frown. "Well, of course it's someone from our division. As a matter of fact, the people who are engaged are _both_ from our division."

The silver-head groaned internally at the loss of not one, but _two_ good men in his division who irrevocably were bitten by the love bug. For Christ's sake, another one? Lately, it seems as if the damn cupid had struck many of his good men and made them into besotted fools in love with their respective partners.

Goddamn spring was in the air.

"Let me venture a guess, is it Second Lieutenant Gary Forrester and Sergeant Suzy Kim?" If it was that couple, he wasn't surprise at the least. The pretty raven-haired woman of Korean descendant and the big bulky mixed-race of African-American and Caucasian had hit it off pretty much since they were reassigned to his division almost two years ago. At first, it seemed as if they were a mismatch couple due to the humongous size Forrester was and how frail and fragile Kim seemed because of her small physique. But that seemed to be a paradox itself since, much to the rest of ZAFT personnel's surprise, it was Kim who wears the pants in the relationship and Forrester was, _ahem_, according to the female spectates, 'a big cuddly soft teddy bear' who would look at his beloved as if she was the answer to all his prayers. That small woman was a small overly combusted energizing bunny who wasn't afraid of getting dirty. But from Yzak's stand point, that man was no 'big cuddly bear' in the battlefield. He was the epitome of someone who you don't want to mess with when he has a gun at hand.

Dearka blinked owlishly. And blinked again. Finally realizing that his oblivious best friend wasn't actually oblivious but simply was uninformed, it finally dawned to him that Yzak knew absolutely nothing of the said event. "You don't know…" he whispered quietly.

Yzak wrinkled his nose, obviously annoyed at his oblivion from this supposedly hot topic. "Know about what?"

"The engagement party," he repeated once again, saying as if it was the only answer to his impending question. Needless to say, but the look on Dearka's face made Yzak both rather obtusely uncomfortable and annoyed. Why in the world should he feel unease about it?

The White Coat fought the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance and stared—well, more like glared—at the blond. "Yes, we've established that already," he wryly conceded. "And as their commander, I am thoroughly miffed that I am just about the last person to find out about this."

"Have you check your e-mail today?" his blond friend inquired instead. Somehow, Dearka began to fidget uncomfortably in his chair, avoiding his gaze at him entirely. Now that was conspicuously suspicious.

Frowning once again, the Joule heir shook his head. "As a matter of fact, no, I haven't," he paused as it finally clicked to him. "Why? Was the invitation sent out via e-mail?"

The Black Coat solemnly nodded. "You should go and have a look at it yourself, buddy."

Yzak narrowed his eyes, suspiciously. "I'll have a go at it right now." Quickly, the silver-head turned on his desktop and immediately open his e-mail to check his inbox. His sharp eyes quickly scanned the folder and quickly disregard the redundant e-mails that were piling up his inbox and mentally check off the ones he needed to open up for later. His sole mission right to see the subject of 'Wedding Invitation' somewhere in the folder and finally caught the bold caption about two-thirds down the page. Without a second thought, he clicked it open to read the text. Determination quickly seeped in to know just what the context of the e-mail was all about that created such a fuss in the building.

His eyes stopped scanning and glued itself to the screen as the names of the intended bride and groom displayed flamboyantly in the text.

He blinked.

No, that can't be right. Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him. He quickly shook his head and then squinted his eyes to focus on the letters once again.

_Blinked_.

Nope. The names were still glaringly there.

_Blinked_.

Frantically, his eyes were screaming bloody murder as it once again reread the email that pertained an upcoming nuptial.

Again, he hoped that maybe it might have disappeared, or better yet, changed its message all together. But there it was still, like a predator bidding its time to catch its little prey, mocking him, ridiculing him at every given moment spent. For the first time in his life, he felt like the hunted one and it was not a pleasant feeling to cope with. Not _one_ freaking bit.

Resolutely, he wished to simply just sink into the floor and disappear into absolute oblivion. But instead, as if an uncontrollable urge took reign of his body, his frame trembled fractiously. Not in fear, mind you, but absolute _fury_.

"Is this…even remotely possible?" he muttered to himself as his eyes were still glued onto the screen displayed before him hoping to god knows what that this was all just a figment of his imagination.

The blond gulped. "I must disagree to agree with you on that one," Dearka murmured quietly as a reply.

Somehow hearing the blond's voice was pushing the last catalyst to his already maxed out stress level. Inevitably within seconds, the thinning line of his patience mentally snapped. And lo and behold, the great Commander Yzak Joule blew up like a Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii.

"What in the…_WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL IS THIS DASTARDLY ABOMINATION_?!"

Startled by his counterpart's clamorous screech, Dearka instinctively held his hands up in defense. "Yzak, buddy, I think you should—"

"Don't you _dare_ tell me to calm down, Elsman! _This_—! This is not…_this is preposterous_!" He whipped his head so fast that Dearka visibly cringed at the sound of his neck cracking. "Who did this? I cannot fathom anyone but you right this moment, so help me god, Dearka, if it's you I'm going to—"

His blond counterpart was quick to interject. "I may love to joke around, but I wouldn't go as far as to send a wedding invitation to the entire ZAFT Force—"

"_EVERYONE WAS SENT ONE_?!" If possible, Yzak's pitch seemed to rise an octave higher than ever before.

"Er…yes?" was the meek response.

Trembling in absolute fury, the silver head pointed an accusing finger at the Elsman heir and commanded in a low, finality, and authoritative voice that refused to hear any objections, "I want to know whose idea of a sick joke this was. Contact the Intelligence Division about this and I want them to find the culprit immediately! Trace this email back to the bastard who had the audacity to send this, this, this _pusillanimous ruination_ to everyone!"

Fighting the urge to sigh a martyr's one, the good Captain reminded, "Yzak, the Intelligence Division's job isn't supposed to do personal favors you know. Their purpose is to collect intellectuals for the benefit of ZAFT and all its glory." The last line was said as if it was taken straight out from a textbook.

The Joule heir glared daggers. "This_ is_ for the benefit of ZAFT for it'll keep me from causing a treason to my nation by preventing me from killing everyone in the goddamn military force!"

"Buddy, be reasonable. This was bound to happen sooner or later. If my memory serves me correctly, your wedding date was set beforehand, right?"

If possible, the silver-head's glare intensified by a hundredfold. "I don't give a rat's ass about my personal life especially about my relationship but this—_this_ madness is an invasion to one's privacy! No one, and when I mean no one, I meant _everyone_ in this goddamn nation wasn't supposed to find out about my apparent engagement and from the looks of it, my upcoming nuptial! When I find out who's the bastard behind this I'm going to take that son of a bastard to court! There is a fine line between freedom of the press and liability. This is slandering I tell you! _Slandering_! You bet your tanned hide that someone is being sued!" He hissed.

Dearka pinched his lips together as if he had just eaten something extremely sour. Well, other than the fact that Yzak was royally pissed at the situation at hand, perhaps adding on the important yet piffling detail that he _did _in fact knew the culprit behind this mess wasn't going to be the brightest idea. Considering that the silver-head was about to combust into a roaring dragon and burst a string full of curses and while he's at it, make a voodoo doll to curse the poor soul who was behind this mess?

Yeah, _**no**_. He wasn't going to be a suicidal idiot and reveal it to him for he valued his life too much to die in the hands of a murderous Yzak. No, thank you. He wasn't that eager to meet his maker.

Instead, just let the silver-head vent his anger out to the Intelligence Division, beats being another one of Yzak's punching bag nowadays. Besides, Yzak will eventually find out sooner or later, give or take a few hours. Until then, he'll gladly remain obtusely oblivious.

"What else was I not informed of? A freaking joint mission?" Sarcasm dripped heavily in the silver-head's bitter tone of voice.

Circumspectly, the Black Coat wondered out loud, "Yzak, are you all right?" His voice sounded unsure and the words were said tentatively as if he was testing the water.

Yzak looked downright insulted for a split second before spatting indigently. "What kind of question is that? Of course I'm all right, you idiot, why wouldn't I be?" Aside from a little high blood pressure, he was absolutely healthy last time he checked.

Dearka gave him a quaint look, as if he was inspecting the silver-head to see if there was anything amiss to begin with. "Did you forget that who's coming to PLANT later today?"

The silver-head squinted his eyes as if he was trying to discern the blond. "Who?"

Relenting to face-palming his face, Dearka sighed. "Bloody hell, Yzak, we've been planning this for months! And in every goddamn meetings we were in you're the one who engrained the information into our brains! How the hell could you forget about it?"

"Well save me from my misery, you idiot, and out with it!" he admonished, glaring daggers at the Elsman heir.

Dearka fought the urge to retort a witty comeback, instead he simply released a sigh of resignation before reminding the oblivious silver-haired commander of the big event that will be taking place soon. "We have a joint military exercise with Orb, the Kingdom of Scandinavia, and the Equatorial Union military forces. In addition, their nation's representatives are coming here for the International Summit with PLANT officials that will begin next week and god knows how long they'll be here. How could you forget?"

Yzak went quiet, and judging by the blank expression he wore, Dearka discerned that the man was trying to process the information through his thickhead. And finally after a few long seconds had elapsed, the man did a double take.

"Are you telling me that that _man_ is _here_? _Right now_? In _PLANT_?!" he barked.

* * *

.

So when he and Dearka were waiting patiently in the terminal where they were to greet the diplomats and military personnel of different nations, it took everything inside of him to remain calm and collected for the sake of his career and image as one of ZAFT's top commanding officer. By no means was he about to do something that will tarnish the reputation that he worked so hard to achieve at his age.

One by one, nation representatives and military personnel of all ranks started to arrive in the hub and was immediately swarm by news reporters. His sharp eyes surveying the scene to look for a particular blue-haired Admiral. Distractingly every now and then, he would diplomatically shook hands and salute high ranking officials and welcome them to the country, even partaking in some pictures that were taken by the press, but his keen eyes were kept on high alert to find the familiar blue-haired pilot.

And finally, lo and behold, there the man was, walking—no, _gliding_—towards him in his Orb Admiral attire with all his glory. He was immediately flocked with reporters and cameras, demanding answers to their impending questions. Zala paid no heed to him and continued on as if they weren't there to begin with, considering how his subordinates were practically shoving the pests away to make room for their superior officer.

"It's been awhile, Yzak."

Yzak Joule hated the man standing before him.

He hated absolutely _everything_ about him.

From the way he speaks, walks, laughs, smiles, every little goddamn specks that made him what he was.

It took everything inside of him to not gag or better yet, do something that he will sorely regret and cost his career in the military. How that stupid Zala can remain calm in the presence of his turf baffled him to no end. So instead, he kept the vicious and insulting thoughts to himself, but in no way possible was he going to not _not _glare.

"_Zala_," was the only greeting that he could mustered up. The man's name that escaped his lips was hissed almost as if it was the most taboo and heinous crime he had ever committed.

Whether the man was daft and simply ignored Yzak's cold and curt greeting, he didn't show it. He merely smiled that stupid, easy-going, happy-freaking dandy smile of his and offered him his hand. "It's been awhile, old friend."

For the sake of appearance and diplomacy, Yzak swallowed up his urge to throttle the man who had bested him in every damn possible way in life and solemnly shook Zala's proffered limb. "Don't push it, Zala. I'm not about to go all sappy and emotional after seeing you."

Yzak wouldn't go as far to say that Zala and he were enemies. Perhaps, frenemies? No, he wasn't friends with Zala. And he would rather chop off his right hand than become a friend of his. More like archenemies/rivals/nemesis/collegues/accquiantance-that-he-loathed-to-the-very-core-of-his-being kind of person. Yeah, that summed it up pretty nicely.

If possible, the man's smile widen far too much for Yzak's liking. "You haven't aged a bit," the Justice pilot joked casually.

Yeah, Yzak_ hated_ this man, alright.

"And I see someone has."

The bluenet blinked owlishly and chuckled. "And I see your witty mouth still hasn't change one bit, too."

_That does it_. How he remained this long unperturbed just by the presence of the said man was beyond him. The man was merely one goddamn foot away and judging by how lax he stood, his guards were down and in this close proximity it was enough for him to throw a decent punch.

An underling from behind tapped Athrun's shoulder and began to rapidly whisper incoherent words to the Admiral, preoccupying the latter for a short moment.

_Yes_, this was the _perfect _opportunity to get back at him. The twitching of his right hand was a telltale to the yearningness to start something, _anything_, to ease this tension he was feeling.

A limb suddenly grasped his right shoulder, breaking him out of his murderous trance. "Easy there, buddy," his blond friend coaxed softly, hoping it'll remind the silver-head that there were too many eyes and ears around them as witnesses. Yzak in return glared ferociously at him. "You don't want to start anything that'll compromise PLANT's diplomatic relationship with Orb if you kill their top Admiral, do you?"

"I'm not an idiot, Elsman," Yzak gritted, spitefully_. But I really want to put him in place_.

Oh no, he was certainly _not_ jealous. Not _one_ freaking bit. But the man has the knack to make his blood boil and his fingers are itching for a fight. The man had always bested him in every way as possible. From graduating at the top of his class to being the first to be promoted to the Special Unit division back when he was with ZAFT. He had excelled in everything there was known to mankind and his presence was like a thorn to his side. Damn bastard.

"There is no reason for me to be jealous of him," he muttered indigently.

Dearka, thwarted by Yzak's unexpected announcement, quirked an enquiring brow with an amused expression. "Who said anything about you being jealous, Yzak?"

"Not one word, Dearka," he dangerously warned the golden-haired captain. Simultaneously, Athrun's subordinate finished his report and the blue-haired Admiral dismissed the man with a head nod. The latter quickly saluted the former ZAFT soldier before promptly leaving the area.

"Sorry about that. I was just reminded of a meeting that we had to attend to. Any who, Dearka, you're still the same as ever," Athrun noted, switching his gaze to the Elsman heir who returned his statement with a grin. "How's Miriallia? I'm surprise that she still hasn't dumped you. _Again_."

Dearka's relationship with Miriallia wasn't really what many would refer to as a 'normal' and 'healthy' one. Their tendency to go off-and-on as a couple perplexed many of their friends in their circle seeing how it resembles one hell of a sadistic coaster ride and sometimes it was glaringly obvious whenever they were in their off period. Hence, both parties suffered irrational mood swings and would constantly bicker like an old married couple be it in the same room or through the phone. But at the end of the day the couple would eventually (_always_) reconcile with one another and call it a truce without fail. It doesn't hurt knowing that the both of them also live together ever since the blond Coordinator managed to cajole the pretty photographer—and it did take quite some times to persuade her to do so—to finally move in together and settle in PLANT.

"It's called a mutual break, Athrun." The Black Coat inwardly shrugged. "Besides, what can I say? I'm just too lovable for my own good. And I assume that Cagalli hasn't dumped you yet either? How can an eccentric girl like her be with someone as boring as you?"

Athrun laughed. "Touché, Dearka. It's really good to see you guys again. I was beginning to miss your bad jokes and sarcasm."

"See? What did I tell you? Too damn lovable," Dearka snorted.

"How about for old time sake we do a test drive with our mobile suits. Shall we, Zala?" Yzak suddenly interjected, much to his friends' surprise.

His best friend was the first one who snapped out of the initial shock. Cautiously, he leaned towards his left ear. "Uh, Yzak, we have a meeting to attend to soon," Dearka whispered in reminder, giving his silver-haired friend an incredulous look that warranting off any possible course of action that may possibly occurred between the two old friends.

Yzak promptly ignored him, much to Dearka's chagrin, for that his icy blue eyes were still fixated at his arch nemesis standing right in front of him. "So? What do you say, old pal?"

Athrun smiled bemusedly before finally shrugging. "Sure, why not," he eloquently remarked. "It's been awhile since I've been in the cockpit and not have an actual battle."

"Um, I hate it break it to the both of you, but we do have a meeting to attend to," Dearka blatantly reminded his friends once again which was, granted, a rarity of its own considering how the blond almost never was eager to attend to his duties.

"Then after the meeting it is," Athrun conceded, smiling. "I hope that your skills hasn't rust, Yzak. It would truly be a pity if ZAFT's most prized Commander had lost his touch."

A wry smile graced the White Coat's lips. "Same goes for you, too. Unlike you, I have been polishing my skills for years. Instead of worrying about my skills, you should be worried about becoming the laughing stock of your military."

The Zala heir laughed. "Okay, you got me there. Let's save this talk and head to the meeting now shall we? I believe Cagalli is going to have a fit if I arrive late for the welcoming conference. Shall we?"

Both ZAFT soldiers nodded in agreement and allowed Athrun and his subordinate to lead the way down the corridor. Both parties were heading towards the exit of the hub terminal where their designated cars await in the pick-up area.

"What is wrong with you? You never act so irrational before," Dearka hissed as they followed shortly behind the Orb personnel.

"Shut up, Dearka."

The blond stared long and hard at his friend before a reason for his unusually behavior suddenly clicked. A slow teasing smile began to form on his lips and it grew wider and wider by the second. "Say, by any chance, are you doing this to, oh I don't know, _impress _someone?"

The good commander schooled an unperturbed expression as he remained perfectly and suspiciously silent.

The Black Coat took his silence as an agreement to his suspicion and began to roar in laughter, wiping a nonexistent tear from his left eye for dramatic measure. "Oh, Yzak. You are such an open book. I never thought that I'd see the day that you, Yzak Joule, would do something for anyone other than yourself."

"Dearka?" Yzak called out after a few seconds.

"Hn?"

"I suggest you shut up before I throw you out in space and you will irrevocably suffocate to your demise."

The blond man for once wisely acquiesced, but not before chancing another good fit of laughter for pure amusement.

* * *

.

**A/N:** Yes, this chapter was Shiho-free. I promise you that the next chapter is going to be filled with Shiho and Yzak moments. :D But hey! For those of you who wanted Athrun to make an appearance, here it is! Thank you all for your support for this story! Hope you all enjoyed it!

**Pandora154085** – Haha! I know right! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D I hope the next chapter won't take as long as this one.

**Yennefer** – Sorry for the late update! And here's the chapter you've been waiting for, Athrun's appearance! Be sure to look forward to the next chapter. I cooked up some interesting plot ;)

**Tynuccia** – I know right! Thank you so very much for reading and sticking with me! Hehe, look forward to it in the next chapter! I guarantee you'll love it!

**GreenFire** – Wow, thank you so, so much for reviewing the previous chapters! Yes, our very dear Shiho is a smart and perceptive woman indeed. As for Yzak's realization, I'd say we need to push him a tad bit more don't you think? And no, A Series of Unfortunate Events is not on hiatus! I'm truly sorry for the lack of update but trust me, I'm working on it! It's taking longer than what I anticipated.

**TheRedSkin** – Thank you so, so much for reviewing! I absolutely love your reactions! XD Oh, wait until you read the next chapter, there's going to be a lot of interactions between our two main characters :D


End file.
